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Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s future is still up in the air, but that won’t prevent Everton from signing a new striker this summer.

After an impressive start to life at the helm, David Moyes is looking for ways to take the Toffees to the next level. It’s like he never left.

Backed by The Friedkin Group, Moyes means business. However, his efforts to sign Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap appear to have been thwarted, the English striker opting to sign for Chelsea.

He’s not the only talented forward on the market, though, and Everton may yet secure a thrilling addition.

Everton could sign Delap alternative

As reported earlier this week by German outlet BILD, Everton are among the clubs to have registered their interest in Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade this month, though the DFB-Pokal champions are hoping to tie the 23-year-old down to a new deal.

Arsenal and Atletico Madrid are among the other contenders, so it won’t be easy for The Toffees, but Moyes will hope to convince the German that he would be making a prudent move by joining the ranks at Bramley Moore.

Stuttgart have placed a loose valuation on their towering talisman, but they could be seeking as much as €50m (£42m), should the competition remain thick over the coming weeks.

Why Everton should sign Nick Woltemade

With Delap a no-go, Everton would strike gold in signing Woltemade, with his distinctive, rounded style of play leading data-driven site FBref to record Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak as one of his most comparable players, among those in his postition across Europe’s top five leagues.

Woltemade scored 17 goals across 33 matches in all competitions this season, including every round of Stuttgart’s triumphant DFB-Pokal campaign, and has been hailed for his “sensational” finishing ability by reporter Bruno Alemany.

That 17-goal return surpasses Delap’s, the Ipswich man bagging 12 from 37 matches in the Premier League, but it’s his complete skill set which suggests Moyes should do everything he can to complete a deal.

Harking back to FBref, Woltemade is recorded to have ranked among the top 3% of centre-forwards across Europe’s top-five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 11% for passes attempted, the top 13% for progressive passes and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90.

He’s the full package, all 6 foot 6 of him. It’s definitely a peculiar profile, with Woltemade a clinical finisher, progressive passer and creative outlet, with neat footwork and clever movements.

This does bear a similarity to Isak, who has been hailed as “the complete striker” by Newcastle legend Alan Shearer.

Matches (starts)

34 (34)

28 (17)

Goals

23

12

Assists

6

2

Shots (on target)*

2.9 (1.4)

1.8 (0.9)

Big chances missed

18

11

Accurate passes*

14.9 (77%)

12.3 (72%)

Big chances created

11

8

Key passes*

1.1

1.3

Dribbles*

1.2

1.1

Duels won*

2.8

4.4

The Sweden striker scored 27 goals from 42 appearances this season, but he also dazzled with his silky running and nimble shimmies from left to right, left to right.

He’s of course operating at a higher level than Woltemade, but the template is there and Everton could offer the grounded pathway to achieve his goals.

The problem, as ever, is that Woltemade is a talented striker with a good track record, and thus bagging him will be no easy feat. But if Everton can sign such a unique profile, physical and imposing and technical and dynamic, it could revolutionise the club’s frontline.

With similarities to Newcastle’s Isak, throwing the kitchen sink at a deal is surely a no-brainer.

Moyes' own Richarlison: Everton to make huge offer for "sensational" CF

Everton could be about to land a star who could follow in Richarlison’s footsteps on Merseyside.

ByEthan Lamb May 29, 2025

Birmingham City are now keen on signing a £15k-per-week Premier League player to fuel next season’s promotion charge, according to a report.

Blues eyeing back-to-back promotions

Birmingham were always expected to return to the Championship this season, but they managed to do so in emphatic fashion, sealing the League One title by amassing 111 points, which is a new EFL record.

However, the third-tier title triumph is just the first step of the journey under the helm of chairman Tom Wagner, who has made it clear the Blues will not be resting on their laurels in the summer transfer window, saying: “We won’t rest until we’re at the very, very top – that’s the objective,”

“I can assure you that this summer we will be working harder than we did last summer.”

Wagner means business: Sky journalist drops exciting Birmingham transfer plan

The Blues are not messing around…

ByTom Cunningham May 1, 2025

Jay Stansfield finished the season with 19 League One goals, but there are signs that a striker with more experience at Championship level could be brought in this summer, with Torino’s Che Adams believed to be of interest.

Not only that, but Birmingham are also looking to bolster their options at the opposite end of the pitch, with a report from EFL Analysis revealing they are now plotting a move for AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers.

The Blues are looking to assemble a squad capable of winning another promotion next season, and Travers is on their wishlist, with the goalkeeper unlikely to remain at the Vitality Stadium beyond the end of the season.

The 25-year-old joined Middlesbrough on loan in the January transfer window, where he seemingly caught the eye, with a number of other unnamed clubs said to be queuing up for his signature.

"Brilliant" Travers could be coup for Birmingham

The 6 foot 3 colossus has impressed Michael Carrick during his time at the Riverside Stadium, with reporter Craig Johms describing him as the “big positive” from Boro’s January transfer window.

Having impressed for a play-off-chasing Championship side in the second half of the campaign, there are clear signs the £15k-a-week goalkeeper could fit the bill for Birmingham, given that they have aspirations of a Premier League return.

Scott Parker was left impressed by the Irishman’s performances for Bournemouth in their promotion-winning 2021-22 campaign, saying: “It’s a sign of a top ‘keeper that in big moments makes big saves.

“Saves you think ‘wow he should not have saved that, he’s kept us in the game there’. Over the past three or four months, Travs is coming into the realms of making big saves at big moments and Saturday was a massive save. That’s not just Saturday. That’s happened over the course of it.

“I’m very pleased with Travs, he’s done brilliant, he’s developed brilliantly.”

Having also impressed at Premier League level prior to joining Middlesbrough on loan, Travers is exactly the calibre of player Birmingham need to sign to fuel their promotion push, and there is every indication he could be Chris Davies’ first-choice keeper on a long-term basis.

It is right back to business for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou after their heroics in the Europa League on Thursday, with Champions League qualification chasers Nottingham Forest awaiting them on Easter Monday as Nuno Espírito Santo looks to upset his former club.

Tottenham enter first Europa League semi-final since 1984

Spurs edged past Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals, courtesy of Dominic Solanke’s vital spot-kick, and Postecoglou’s side were forced to display some last-gasp pieces of defending to keep hold of their precious advantage on hostile away turf.

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Bodies were on the line over a dogged, mature display which we’ve scarcely witnessed at Spurs all season long, and Postecoglou was thrilled by the effort from his players, as Tottenham set up their first Europa semi-final since 1984.

“They’ve been so united in believing in what we’re trying to achieve here and that is what gave me heart all along that if we got our own slice of luck in terms of getting some players back that I really believed this team could achieve,” said Postecoglou on Spurs’ win over Eintracht.

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 21st

Liverpool (away)

April 27th

West Ham (away)

May 3rd

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Aston Villa (away)

May 18th

“That is what keeps driving me. It isn’t so much my belief in them, it’s their belief in what we’re doing and both players and staff have been outstanding. I am the front man for it but they take responsibility for it as well and all my decisions and everything I do, but not at any stage have I felt they lost any belief in me or what we’re doing.”

Postecoglou has been repeatedly tipped for the Tottenham axe following a dismal Premier League season, having already lost 17 top-flight matches, but their Europa League campaign represents a golden opportunity for the Lilywhites to make history and fulfill the Australian’s goal of winning silverware during his second term in charge.

All eyes are on the next round, where they will face off against fairy-tale semi-finalists Bodo/Glimt, but they must first take on both Forest and travel to Anfield for a clash against Liverpool.

Tottenham could be without James Maddison against Nottingham Forest

As Spurs prepare to host the former at home, Postecoglou has shared a pre-match update on star £170,000-per-week midfielder James Maddison.

Maddison was forced off against Eintracht after his nasty collision with goalkeeper Kaua Santos, which resulted in the away side being awarded Solanke’s decisive penalty.

The Englishman ultimately playing a crucial role in helping Tottenham to the semis, but as a result, Postecoglou has now confirmed that Maddison is a Tottenham injury doubt for Forest.

“It’s fair to say he’ll probably be a bit sore, so he’s probably a doubt for Monday,” said Postecoglou on Maddison’s condition.

“The rest of the group, again, they all worked hard, so they’ll be sore, but they should all be okay for Monday night. Sonny will still be out. He’s been dealing with a foot problem for a while, so now is as good a time as any to give him the right time to to get over it. He’ll definitely miss Monday. Everyone else should be okay.”

The 28-year-old has bagged 10 goals and 11 assists throughout all competitions, and he’ll likely be a sore miss against Forest, but with nothing to play for domestically, it is far more imperative that he’s fresh and ready for their European tie.

The teams, the format, the big names, and everything else you might have been wondering about

Abhimanyu Bose05-Jul-2024

First things first. When does it start?

The first match is on Friday, July 5, with MI New York taking on Seattle Orcas in Morrisville. The tournament will go on till July 28. There will be a total of 25 matches.

So who are the teams participating? And who won it the first time around?

The six teams are Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings and Washington Freedom.It was MI New York, inspired by a whirlwind Nicholas Pooran century, who beat Seattle Orcas in the final to win the inaugural title.

Are you sure it’s the MLC and not the IPL? There seem to be a lot of familiar names…

That’s because IPL franchises have invested in most of the teams in the tournament, as they have in other franchise leagues like SA20, ILT20 and the CPL. IPL franchises own four teams in the MLC. Apart from the three obvious ones, Seattle Orcas are owned by the GMR Group, who co-own Delhi Capitals.Washington Freedom, owned by Indian-American entrepreneur Sanjay Govil, have Cricket New South Wales as their high-performance partner. San Francisco Unicorns, owned by Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, have a partnership with Cricket Victoria.

We saw games in New York and Lauderhill in the T20 World Cup, apart from Dallas. Will the MLC also be played in those grounds?

No. This year’s MLC, like in 2023, will only be played at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas in Texas and Church Street Park in North Carolina’s Morrisville.Last season, the first eight league games were played in Dallas and the next seven in Morrisville, before the tournament shifted back to Dallas for the knockout rounds. This year, however, both stadiums will host games throughout the season.Nicholas Pooran’s 137* in the final helped MI New York win MLC 2023•Sportzpics

So you said Pooran played the last season. Who are some other big names that were there last season and will play this year as well?

A total of 23 overseas players who turned out in the inaugural season will be in action in MLC 2024 as well. Among them, some of the big names include Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, Heinrich Klaasen and Kieron Pollard.Afghanistan’s left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad will replace Daryl Mitchell – who has been ruled out by an injury and is currently doing rehab in New Zealand – for Texas Super Kings. You can find the full list of retained overseas players here.

And any exciting new additions this year?

Yes indeed. Pat Cummins, Travis Head and Steven Smith are some high-profile Australian signings, while Daryl Mitchell, Shakib Al Hasan and Romario Shepherd are some of the other new signings. You can see the full squads here.

USA pulled off a surprise and made it to the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup. So who will their local heroes line up for?

USA did have an impressive showing at the T20 World Cup, with a Super Over win over Pakistan the highlight. Their captain Monank Patel, Noshthush Kenjige and Shayan Jahangir will be representing defending champions MI New York, while last year’s runners-up Seattle Orcas have USA vice-captain Aaron Jones and Harmeet Singh in their ranks.Milind Kumar, who took a blinder against Pakistan as a substitute fielder, will play for Texas Super Kings, while Andries Gous and Saurabh Netravalkar will play for Washington Freedom.Saurabh Netravalkar, who was impressive in the T20 World Cup, will be playing for Washington Freedom•AFP/Getty Images

All this sounds good. So, what is the format of the league?

Like most franchise leagues, the MLC will first have a round-robin league stage. Last year, each team played the other once, but this time every team will play seven matches each in the league stage. This has contributed to the tournament growing from 19 games last year to 25 this season.The top two teams will meet in the Qualifier, with the winners of that match advancing to the final.The third and fourth-placed teams will meet in the Eliminator. The winner of the Eliminator will face the team that loses the Qualifier in the Challenger, where the second finalist will be decided.You can see the full fixture list here.

But the MLC games don’t count as official T20s, right?

That was the case last year, but the tournament has been given List A status by the ICC. It has become the second Associate-run franchise competition to acquire List A status from the ICC, following the UAE’s ILT20 earlier this year.This means MLC will now be recognised as an official T20 league, with tournament playing records now counted as official format statistics.

And with the packed cricket schedule, is it not clashing with any of the several other T20 leagues around the world?

The Lanka Premier League is on till July 21, so Matheesha Pathirana will remain unavailable till Colombo Strikers are knocked out.There will also be a six-day clash with the Hundred , which means that 12 players who are part of the MLC could arrive late at the UK.

South Africa ignore the dramatics but captain’s heroic shift keeps home ambitions alive

Vithushan Ehantharajah18-Aug-2022Lord’s early in a Test match has never been a ground conducive to cheering. That was especially true on day two against South Africa.The first innings was done and dusted within the first 13 of the scheduled 98 overs, as England’s final four wickets fell for just 49 more runs. A small-fry first innings of 165 usurped soon after tea by South Africa without having to overexert themselves. For the most part, play hummed along as background music to those of an English persuasion in the stands, easing them steadily towards Thursday night and the start of the pre-kend. Paying too much attention to on-field matters risked killing the buzz.Related

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There were, however, two moments when a crowd usually distracted by the peripheral greens of this ground were squarely focused on the main one in the middle, and in their best voice. The first was on 41 overs – South Africa just 16 runs behind for the loss of two wickets.Jack Leach was stood at the top of his mark at the Nursery End, preparing to bowl. His previous Test appearance against India at Edgbaston had been far from ideal: 1 for 99 in 21 overs. The period since even less so: just 68 overs and one wicket under his belt for Somerset in the County Championship and time warming the bench in the men’s Hundred for Birmingham Phoenix.The second came around 15 overs later. Ben Stokes had the ball in hand at the Pavilion End, raking the ground beneath his feet with Kyle Verreyne in his sights. The skipper had taken out Sarel Erwee and Rassie van der Dussen in a spell that had shades of the Stokes of old: sharp, late movement, occasionally short. And as he stomped in towards Verreyne, the tourists now five down with Leach accounting for Aiden Markram, and just 27 ahead, the crowd crescendoed with him and let out a roar as a delivery into the ribs had South Africa’s wicketkeeper turning away to square leg to cope with the blow.The interest and complexion of the match had shifted dramatically. And it felt apt that Stokes and Leach had done the shifting together. The empowerer and the empowered in tandem, both primarily last resorts here. Stuart Broad revealed at stumps that Stokes had to be convinced to take his less-preferred end because of the turn Leach was getting.And above all else, his ceding to Leach, who he backed with compact, attacking fields, while getting almost comically creative with his own – at one point he had a leg side of bat-pad, leg slip, wide mid on, fine leg (up), fine leg (back), deep square and a position you could only really describe as “short cow” – there was a compulsion to believe in what England were doing. Because, at the moment, everyone on the field and in the home dressing believed in what they were doing. The morning and early afternoon of farce and toil, all broadly well-intentioned, corrected by sheer force of spirit.By the end of play, however, there was no time for whimsy on courage. South Africa’s lead was now 124 for seven down, Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj turning the match their way once more with with a 72-run stand. Leach and Stokes were back on to see out the day, visibly more weathered and audibly less backed. The crowds had withered, just like the belief. The spirit ever-willing, characterised by Stokes chasing down a shot through mid-off from his own bowling, dropping to the floor as he spun and hurled in an instant. Brendon McCullum instilled in them that these are the things that count. But it was hard to see the upside as Stokes laboured to his feet with the help of Broad, who valiantly chased from mid-on knowing he was going to come second.”He carries an inspirational style about what he does,” said Broad of his captain, who was rewarded with a third dismissal when Maharaj clothed a short ball to Matt Potts at midwicket. “I thought it was Stokes who bought great theatre in that sort of middle period after tea.”Truth be told, even the action either side of that “middle period” held the attention. Stokes maintained a sense that something could happen with his decisions, even when sunny, relatively sedate conditions suggested otherwise. As well as the funky fields were more regulation cordons, either packed with four slips and a gully or five bunched up together next to Ben Foakes. The issue, though, was South Africa, barring a couple of missteps, largely kept their focus on their steadfast methods of patience rather than the concocted dramatics around them. Beyond the spell of three wickets lost to Leach and Stokes in 11.2 overs for 32.The new ball and the second innings of this Test is just three overs and three wickets away, respectively. The former needs to bring the latter sooner rather than later if Broad is to get his wish of a first-innings deficit of 150 that he reckoned could be seen off by one solid partnership. Then it will be down to the rest to provide England with a target to defend. Broad still believes.”We’ve proved this summer that anything can happen and we feel really positive in the change room that we’ve got ourselves back in the game because it was 130 for one.”Yet again, England are looking for another hall-of-fame performance in the first match of this series. We will see if they are fifth-time lucky.

All the slow-baked stats from Dom Sibley and Ben Stokes’ mammoth stand at Old Trafford

Bharath Seervi17-Jul-2020568 – Number of balls the Dom Sibley-Ben Stokes partnership lasted, which is England’s second-longest partnership, in terms of balls, since 2000. The longest is 574 balls between Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010. It is also the longest against West Indies in this period, edging past 525-ball stand between Shaun Marsh and Adam Voges at Hobart in 2015.1975 – The last time two England batsmen faced 350-plus balls in a Test innings, before Sibley (372 balls) and Stokes (356) doing so in this innings. Mike Denness and Keith Fletcher faced 350-plus balls in the same innings twice in 1975 – against Australia at the MCG and versus New Zealand at Auckland.ESPNcricinfo Ltd260 – The partnership between Sibley and Stokes, was the second-highest by a pair for any wicket in Tests at Old Trafford. The only higher stand than this was 267 between Michael Vaughan and Graham Thorpe against Pakistan in 2001. The stand is also England’s sixth-highest for any wicket against West Indies and best since Andrew Strauss and Robert Key put together 303 runs at Lord’s in 2004.10 – Centuries for Stokes in Tests, all coming at Nos. 5 and 6. He became the fourth England player to score 10 or more centuries at No. 5 and below. Ian Bell has the most in those positions (16 hundreds), followed by Ian Botham (14) and Thorpe (11). Stokes has 4184 runs at No. 5 and below, which is third-most for England. Since Stokes’ debut, Ajinkya Rahane is the only other batsman to have scored 10 centuries at No. 5 and below and Stokes has the most runs there. He is also only the fifth allrounder to score 10-plus centuries and take 150-plus wickets.235 – Previously the most balls faced by Stokes in a Test innings, against India at Rajkot in 2016. His highest score of 258 came from just 198 balls. This innings of 176 runs at a strike rate of 49.43 was Stokes’ lowest of his 10 hundreds.32.25 – Sibley’s strike rate in his knock of 120 off 372 balls, is the fourth-lowest in 100-plus scores in England (where balls faced information is available). He completed his century in 312 balls, the slowest century in Tests anywhere since Azhar Ali made one in 319 balls in Dubai in 2012.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var e in a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var t=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-“+e)||document.querySelector(“iframe[src*='”+e+”‘]”);t&&(t.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][e]+”px”)}}))}();