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Leeds United need to improve their offensive output if they want to stand a chance of avoiding an instant relegation from the Premier League this season.

Last season, every team that avoided the drop scored at least 42 goals, with Spurs in 17th place scoring 64 times, whilst all three of the teams that went down averaged less than a goal per game.

The Whites are currently in the middle of that, with 11 goals in 11 matches in the Premier League, which shows that they need to improve their output at the top end of the pitch.

11 games into the season, no Leeds player has scored more than two goals in the division, with three players leading the way for goals, and that needs to change in the coming weeks.

As you can see in the table above, at least one player hit double figures for goals in each of the three seasons that the club were in the Premier League during their last stint.

In their run in the division before that, Australian forward Mark Viduka hit double figures in four successive seasons, including 17 and 20-goal hauls in two of them, per Transfermarkt.

Why Leeds need to sign a new centre-forward

Leeds need to sign a new centre-forward to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch in the January transfer window because none of their current options look likely to be their next Viduka.

As aforementioned, no one in the squad has scored more than two goals in the Premier League after 11 matches, and summer signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been a particular disappointment so far this term.

The experienced number nine, who was signed on a free transfer from Everton in the summer, is reportedly the highest earner in the squad on £100k-per-week, but has not done enough on the pitch to justify that.

As you can see in the table above, Calvert-Lewin has historically been a poor finisher in the Premier League, mostly for Everton, and arrived at Elland Road in the summer off the back of four successive seasons without scoring more than seven goals in a league campaign.

It should, therefore, not be a surprise that he has struggled for form for the Whites in front of goal, with one goal and ten ‘big chances’ missed in all competitions so far this season, per Sofascore.

Nmecha, meanwhile, has scored two Premier League goals this season, but has not scored more than eight goals in a league season, per Sofascore, since he plundered 18 goals in the Pro League for Anderlecht in the 2020/21 campaign.

Leeds plotting move for new striker

The unlikelihood of Calvert-Lewin or Nmecha pushing on to hit double figures for goals in the Premier League has reportedly prompted the club to pursue another option in their position.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to TEAMtalk, the club recognise that they let Daniel Farke down in the summer transfer window and plan to rectify that mistake by adding more firepower to his squad in January.

The report claims that Celtic attacker Daizen Maeda is one of the players they are plotting a possible move for, alongside Coventry’s Haji Wright, AZ Alkmaar’s Troy Parrott, and Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia.

It adds that the Scottish Premiership forward has told the Hoops of his desire to move on from Parkhead in the next transfer window, which will come as a boost to Leeds, as well as Everton and Brentford, who are said to be leading the race for his signature.

Maeda was reportedly valued at around £21m by Celtic in the summer, amid interest in his services at the time, but it remains to be seen if that valuation has changed ahead of January.

Why Daizen Maeda could be Leeds United's new Mark Viduka

As aforementioned, Viduka had great success in the Premier League during his time at Elland Road, with 72 goals in 166 matches in all competitions for the club, per Transfermarkt.

That impressive form for the Whites came after he made a move from Celtic, where, per Transfermarkt, he scored an eye-catching 27 goals in 37 games in the 99/00 season, before his switch to West Yorkshire in the summer of 2000.

Maeda, who is currently shining for Celtic, could follow in Viduka’s footsteps by making a similar move to be a goalscoring sensation for Leeds in the second half of this season, and beyond.

The Japanese forward, who can play on either wing or as a number nine, scored 33 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign, per Transfermarkt, and has scored four goals so far this term.

These statistics show that Maeda has been an incredibly prolific goalscorer for the Scottish giants, which is exactly what Leeds are lacking in their current squad.

Perhaps most interestingly, though, the Japan international ranked within the top 16% of his positional peers in the Premiership last season for winning possession back in the final third, despite Celtic being an incredibly dominant team who won the title.

At Leeds, Maeda would be in a team that is under pressure a lot in matches, as they are fighting relegation, which would give him even more opportunities to use his incredible pressing skills and speed to win the ball off the opposition to spark counter-attacks.

The Celtic star, who ex-Rangers boss Barry Ferguson claimed is “built like a brick”, could be the perfect signing for Leeds because he has the goalscoring record to suggest that he can provide the threat that they are currently missing, whilst also possessing the out-of-possession attributes that you need a player to have in a relegation scrap.

Maeda’s relentless running and pressing could be invaluable to the Whites as they battle to avoid the drop, and his goalscoring quality could make him Viduka 2.0 at Elland Road.

Raphinha repeat: 49ers keen on signing "generational" £79m star for Leeds

Leeds United are lining up a January swoop for a star who could be as exciting a signing as Raphinha once was.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 18, 2025

A late Australia fightback or Lee and Kasprowicz’s finishing act? Which Test was better? Vote now!

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2025Update: This poll has ended. The ENG-AUS 2005 Nottingham Test moves into the round of 16.The Trent Bridge thriller, 2005It was a Test of two halves.The first 11 sessions were about England’s march to a 2-1 lead in the fourth game of the Ashes. The 12th and final session, in which England were chasing a small(ish) target, was dragged into a great fight from the time Shane Warne took the wicket off his first ball. Had Australia won, they would have retained the Ashes with a game to spare.England were so dominant that they forced Australia to follow on after being bowled out for 218 inside 50 overs. Andrew Flintoff’s 102 off 132 balls and Geraint Jones’ 85, had propelled England to 477. In the third innings, Australia rode on half-centuries from Justin Langer, Michael Clarke and Simon Katich to post 387 and set England a target of 129.It wasn’t a cakewalk for England, though.The fourth innings lasted only 31.5 overs, where Brett Lee and Warne led a courageous Australian fightback. There was a period of calm when England moved from 32 for 1 to 103 for 4. But when Lee dramatically dismissed Kevin Pietersen and Flintoff to leave England at 111 for 6, Australia sensed a comeback. In the next over after Flintoff’s dismissal, Warne – who had by then picked up three wickets – removed Jones. It was left to Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard to fight it out. Slowly, they picked off the runs even as Lee peppered Hoggard with a mixture of bouncers and yorkers. Giles hit the winning runs, a flick through the onside for two, to the delight of a joyous England balcony.Lee and Kasprowicz steal a thriller, Johannesburg, 2006
The white-ball leg of this series was remembered for the 438 game, but in Tests, Australia earned a 3-0 clean sweep against South Africa.After two dominating performances in Cape Town and Durban, Australia were challenged in Johannesburg. In a scene of Edgbaston revisited, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz buried their Ashes nightmares with a 19-run eighth-wicket partnership to secure victory in a fascinating Test.In the first innings, Lee scored a fighting 68-ball 64 at No. 9 after Michael Hussey’s 72, to stretch the visitors’ total but they were eventually all out for 270, thanks to Makhaya Ntini’s six-wicket haul. This was after South Africa posted 303 in the first innings.Set 292 for a win, Hussey’s 89 and Damien Martyn’s 101 had laid a platform for Australia. However, Australia stumbled at the fall of Hussey’s wicket, going from 198 for 2 to 275 for 8. Kasprowicz walked out to meet Lee with 17 to go.The duo overcame the 2005 flashbacks as Lee finished with an unbeaten 24 and Kasprowicz remained 7 not out.

A sudden downpour in London forced India and England back into the changerooms early after 23 overs of play at The Oval. Shubman Gill, having lost the toss yet again, was in the middle dealing with challenging batting conditions but profiting thanks to a drop in the quality of bowling among the opposition. The visitors went to the break at 72 for 2.Gus Atkinson, one of four changes for England, acquitted himself very well, playing his first Test two months. He provided the first breakthrough, trapping Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw in the fourth over of the day. The on-field decision was not-out prompting stand-in captain Ollie Pope to review and finally get one right. He had not had any luck with his previous 14 calls but this one was perfect. Atkinson finished the session with figures of 6-1-7-1.KL Rahul was solid again but fell for 14 off 40. With 8mm of grass left on the pitch and most of the session taking place under overcast skies, the batters were very careful when the ball was pitched up in the 4-6m area but anything either side they knew they had to attack. Chris Woakes bowled short but not wide enough for the cut. Rahul went for the shot because of the pressure that had been built – England had given only five runs in the previous six overs – and was bowled off the inside edge.That brought Gill to the middle and he ticked past 732 runs, which means he has the most runs by an India captain over a Test series. Sai Sudharsan was at the other end, looking solid as well and exposing the drop offs between Archer and Stokes, who couldn’t play this game, and Josh Tongue (11 runs in wides in his first over) and Jamie Overton (3-0-16-0) who replaced them. A portion of the bowlers’ struggle was also because the landing area didn’t seem sturdy enough after the overnight rain.

It has been learnt that Rashid will not be available for the entire ILT20 and is likely to be around until December 20 before leaving for SA20

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2025

Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan has replaced England allrounder Jordan Thompson in the MI Emirates squad for the ongoing ILT20 2025-26. Thompson has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury.Rashid, 27, is no stranger to the MI franchise. He is the captain of MI Cape Town in SA20 and led them to their maiden title earlier this year against Sunrisers Eastern Cape. He has also played for MI New York in Major League Cricket (MLC) in 2023 and 2024, but opted out this season. Rashid played two games for MI Emirates back in 2023, where he took four wickets.It has been learnt that Rashid will not be available for the entire ILT20, which runs till January 4, 2026 and is likely to be around until December 20 before travelling to South Africa for SA20 2025-26, where MI Cape Town play the season opener against Durban’s Super Giants on December 26.MI Emirates, the ILT20 2024 champions, will start this season against Gulf Giants in Dubai on December 4. Led by Kieron Pollard this season, they have reached the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons.The current season began on December 2, with Desert Vipers beating last year’s champions Dubai Capitals.

A former Saudi Arabian sports minister has unleashed a withering assessment of the Saudi Pro League, claiming Cristiano Ronaldo is the only foreign player in the competition justifying their wages. Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad lauded Ronaldo's unparalleled ability to bring global exposure to the league. The 40-year-old extended his stay in the country when he signed a new two-year deal with Al-Nassr in the summer.

Former minister claims Ronaldo only player to justify wage

Bin Mosaad served as the country's sports minister between 2014 and 2017, before Mohamed Bin Salman's administration began heavily investing in sports projects including the SPL.

The politician was speaking on Arab-language channel Al-Arabiya, when he was asked about his opinion on record-chasing striker Ronaldo. Bin Mosaad was effusive in his praise of the 40-year-old Portugal star, while also taking a swipe at his well-paid peers. 

Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January 2023, after his second spell with Manchester United ended in acrimony. His high-profile switch to the Gulf state paved the way for a host of prominent players such as Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez to leave European football for the promise of higher wages.

The former Real Madrid and Juventus star's stay in the kingdom was extended earlier this year, with Ronaldo signing an improved deal worth a reported $211m-per-year.

AdvertisementGettyRonaldo's global impact for Saudi Pro League praised

"Ronaldo is the only foreign player worth what he earns because of the global exposure he brings to the league and the country. Many others are paid far more than they deserve," said Bin Mosaad.

"The international renown that Ronaldo brings is unparalleled. He is the only foreign player whose impact justifies the level of his salary. No one else has done that for the league."

Prince Abdullah's words reflect the fact that Ronaldo is more than simply a footballer in Saudi Arabia, he is a sporting icon and an ambassador for the SPL and the nation's push for sporting excellence as a whole. The levels of sponsorship and commercial revenue that the Portuguese frontman brings to the country are impossible to match, and, on top of all of that, he continues to do the business and justify his salary on the pitch, too.

Ronaldo continues to star in Saudi in twilight of career

The 40-year-old stunned fans once again last weekend as he scored a stunning bicycle kick to put Al-Nassr 4-1 up on Al Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League. He has already struck 11 goals in 12 matches this campaign, backing up Prince Abdullah's claims. But even the great man Ronaldo himself concedes that he is reaching the latter stages of his illustrious career.

He recently said: "I'm really enjoying the moment right now. As you know, in football, when you reach some age, you count the months very quick. I feel very good in this moment. I score goals, I still feel quick and sharp. I'm enjoying my game in the national team. But of course, let's be honest. What I mean by soon is probably one or two years."

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Getty ImagesRonaldo counting down to World Cup

Bin Mosaad's comments reflect the fact that Ronaldo is a global icon of the sort that the Saudi Pro League has never seen before and might never see again. He continues to appear head and shoulders above opponents and will hope to show his world-class ability again for what could be the last-ever time at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Portugal captain has avoided a ban for the start of the competition, following the confirmation that his red card against the Republic of Ireland during the most recent international break will not carry over into the tournament. Next summer's edition is set to be Ronaldo's sixth World Cup, with the trophy representing the elusive major honour that the great man has failed to secure in his career to date. His red-hot form in Saudi will stand him in good stead as he aims to make a massive impact on the tournament.

He replaced Edward Moore for Western Province in South Africa’s first-class competition

Firdose Moonda04-Oct-2025

Western Province opening batter Joshua van Heerden has become the first like-for-like injury replacement under a new trial for substitutes in cricket. Van Heerden replaced Edward Moore in a provincial four-day game against Lions at Newlands in the second round of the CSA’s first-class competition. Moore suffered a tear to his left adductor (inner thigh muscle) while fielding on the second day.The trial, which is also being conducted in Australia’s Sheffield Shield and India’s Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy, is part of an ICC initiative seeking a solution for teams that lose players to serious injury during a match.Like Australia, South Africa will consider both internal and external injuries (India are only looking at external injuries for now) and have a strict protocol for determining when a player can be replaced. If the injury is internal, such as a muscle tear, which was the case with Moore, the player is required to go for an Ultrasound and/or an MRI scan. The report is then sent to CSA’s chief medical officer Dr Hashendra Ramjee and CSA’s cricket operations manager Obakeng Sepeng who study the results and determine if the injury is serious enough to allow for replacement. They then contact the match referee to confirm the decision. If the injury is external, such as a visible dislocation or broken bone, the match referee can make the decision on a substitute in consultation with Dr Ramjee and Sepeng.Related

BCCI introduces 'serious injury replacement substitute' rule

CA to trial injury subs with tactical twist in Sheffield Shield

The injured player can only be replaced provided he has been ruled out of the match in its entirety. He will then be required to satisfy a “stand-down period of seven days”, as stated in CSA’s updated playing conditions before returning to play. In Australia’s case, substitutions are only allowed until stumps on the second day and the injured player is mandated a 12-day non-playing period. Like Australia and India, South Africa are only trialling the system in multi-day cricket for now.The differences in protocol stem from the ways in which different countries want to trial the system. They will all report back to the ICC, which could then come up with regulations for like-for-like substitutions in the international game. Currently, substitutions in international cricket are only allowed for concussion.

Allrounder also takes two wickets as concerted bowling display helps set up return to Finals Day

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay06-Sep-2025

Lancashire Lightning are through to Finals Day and – 10 years on from their first – will get the chance to win a second Vitality Blast title next Saturday having beaten Kent Spitfires by three wickets chasing 154 in an engaging Emirates Old Trafford quarter-final.England fringe fast bowler Luke Wood struck with the first ball of a contest which saw the Spitfires scramble to 153 all out in 20 overs, the left-armer finishing with an excellent 3 for 29.No Kent batter reached 30 and they were unable to deny a Lightning side also including star man Liam Livingstone, James Anderson and Phil Salt a 10th Finals Day appearance.Like Wood, fellow England international Livingstone was key to Lancashire’s victory in front of a 12,000-plus crowd. Having returned 2 for 21 from four overs of spin, he helped recover their chase from 5 for 2 with a brilliantly destructive 85 not out off 45 balls with seven sixes. The hosts won with nine balls remaining.Livingstone is the only member of this Lancashire team to have won the Blast in 2015.Lightning made the perfect start, as Wood had Tawanda Muyeye caught at mid-off with the first ball of the match. It was the second time he had struck with the first ball of an innings in this campaign.Kent then scored runs at a decent rate but lost wickets at key moments. Daniel Bell-Drummond miscued Anderson to backward point, Zak Crawley was caught behind having gloved a pull at Jack Blatherwick and Livingstone’s first ball ousted a sweeping Sam Billings caught at deep square leg, leaving the score at 71 for 4 in the ninth over.Joe Denly had started nicely, including lofting Blatherwick’s first ball for six over long-off. But he also fell – on 28 – to strengthen Lancashire’s grip at 81 for 5 after 10 overs, miscuing a similar shot to long-off against Tom Hartley’s left-arm spin.The trend continued. Joey Evison muscled sixes off the spinners but fell for 27 to a smart boundary catch at long-off from Wood off Livingstone with the score on 115 in the 15th.Grant Stewart also hit two sixes in a brisk 25 before playing on to Tom Aspinwall, who struck twice with his seamers. And Kent had to try and bat the overs out, which they did. Still, their total had the feeling of being well short after Wood struck twice in the last over to remove Fred Klaassen and Nathan Gilchrist caught at deep midwicket.But visiting hopes were raised as they reduced the Lightning to 5 for 2 inside two overs of the chase as Stewart’s seam had Salt caught at deep backward square leg pulling and Klaassen’s left-armers forced Luke Wells to play on off his thigh pad.Klaassen was superb for 3 for 14 from four overs.Livingstone, on 15, top-edged a pull at Gilchrist into the back of his neck shortly afterwards and underwent a concussion check but carried on.He lost captain Keaton Jennings caught on the scoop against the outstanding pace of Klaassen – 31 for 3 in the fifth over – before taking the sting out of the situation in dynamic fashion.He took on the legspin of former county colleague Matthew Parkinson, three times smashing him over long-on for six in the ninth over as he reached his first fifty of this season’s Blast off 25 balls and took the score to 84 for 3.Experienced Australian Ashton Turner holed out off Evison almost immediately afterwards, but Kent desperately needed Livingstone’s wicket.It didn’t arrive, and even Parkinson getting Michael Jones for 28 off 16 balls and Hartley in the 14th over, leaving Lancashire 118 for 6, wasn’t enough to turn the game.Livingstone hammered Parkinson over long-on – and over The Point conference building – for six more, and his knock confirmed that Lancashire will play Somerset or Birmingham Bears in the semi-final at Edgbaston.

لم يقدم العديد من لاعبي ليفربول مستويات جيدة هذا الموسم، ويأتي من بين اللاعبين إبراهيما كوناتي بسبب عدم تجديد عقده، كما تراجع أداء فيرجيل فان دايك، وكذلك محمد صلاح.

وتحدث إيميل هيسكي مهاجم ليفربول السابق في تصريحات نشرتها “Rousing the kop” عن أداء النجم المصري هذا الموسم.

وقال هيسكي عن صلاح :”صلاح لاعب مثير للاهتمام، سجل العديد من الأهداف، لذا فهو يخفي الكثير من المشاكل التي تسببها الأهداف عادة”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. سلوت: نشبه مانشستر سيتي.. ولعبنا مباراة كل يومين لن يساعدنا على تغيير أسلوبنا

وأضاف :”يغيب أحياناً عن المباريات ولكن لأنه يسجل هدفين أو ثلاثة في النهاية، يتذكر الجميع ذلك، لكنه يفعل ذلك منذ فترة وأنت بحاجة لثنائيات كهذه، تحتاجها في فريقك أحياناً، لأنك تبقى في الملعب فقط لتلك اللحظة الصغيرة التي تسجل فيها هدفاً”.

وواصل: “لكن الشيء الوحيد هو أنه إذا لم يسجلوا هذا الهدف أو يمنحوا أي فرصة للركض ولم تحصل على أي فرصة للتتبع، ولم تحصل على كل هذه المساحة في الجانب الآخر من الملعب فمن الصعب للغاية الدفاع ضدهم”.

Celtic’s new head coach Wilfried Nancy will already have plenty on his plate in the coming weeks after taking over the club midway through the season, in the midst of a Scottish Premiership title race.

Aside from the obvious objectives, which include making it to the next stage of the Europa League, winning the league title, and winning the two domestic cups, the French boss also needs to develop players.

One player who desperately needs to kick on after an underwhelming start to the 2025/26 campaign is central midfielder Arne Engels, who must show his quality under the new boss.

Why Nancy needs to get more out of Engels for Celtic

Celtic splashed out a club-record fee of £11m to sign the central midfielder from Augsburg in the summer of 2024 under Brendan Rodgers, and he enjoyed a strong first season at Parkhead.

Engels delivered ten goals and 13 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops in his debut season, per Transfermarkt, yet he has only managed two goals and four assists in 23 games in the current campaign.

This shows that the Belgium international needs to improve his performances under Nancy to prove that he was worth the £11m that the club paid for him last year, and to attract interest from other clubs to potentially be sold for a profit in the future.

Whilst Celtic’s club-record signing is yet to raise his value at Parkhead, there is a former Hoops talent who is now valued at even more than Engels.

The former Celtic star who is now worth £20m

In the summer of 2024, Rocco Vata, despite the club’s and Rodgers’ attempts to keep him, decided to leave at the end of his contract to sign for Championship side Watford.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

The Premiership champions raked in a compensation fee of £225k for the Ireland international, who came through the ranks at Parkhead, and he is now worth a staggering £20m 18 months on from that move.

At the end of November, the Daily Mail reported that Crystal Palace, Fulham, Atalanta, and Eintracht Frankfurt are all interested in signing the Irishman, who is valued at £20m by the Hornets, ahead of the January transfer window.

Vata’s journey gives off shades of Ben Doak. The winger left Celtic to join Liverpool for a compensation fee of £600k in 2022 and was sold to Bournemouth for £25m in 2025, after making just two first-team appearances for the Hoops.

The 20-year-old talent, Vata, has provided six goals and six assists in 47 games for Watford, per Transfermarkt, and his impressive play on the left wing has clearly attracted interest from some big clubs across Europe’s major leagues.

Vata was described as a “potential superstar” by analyst and Watford content creator Louorns on X last year, which now looks like a terrific take when you consider the clubs interested in him and the valuation on his head at the age of just 20.

Hibernian

6

Ross County

1

Kilmarnock

22

Motherwell

11

Aberdeen

3

Buckie Thistle

26

Yet, as you can see in the table above, the versatile attacker barely got a look-in during his time at Celtic, with zero starts in his six first-team appearances for the club.

It is easy to say with hindsight, but Celtic should have offered him more chances on the pitch at first-team level to show the talented youngster that there is a pathway to regular football at Parkhead.

Perhaps Colby Donovan’s emergence, with 516 minutes under his belt this season, is an example of them having learned from their mistake with Vata last year and with Doak in 2022.

Now, Vata is shining in England with Watford, with 12 goal contributions since the start of last season, and could seal a £20m move away from the club in January if any of the aforementioned interested parties are willing to seriously pursue a deal.

This shows the kind of value that can be generated by simply giving young players an opportunity to shine, as Watford have done with Vata, as he is now valued at more than Celtic’s club-record signing, Engels, was signed for.

First big call: Nancy must now boldly bin Celtic's "player of the year"

Celtic are heading into a new era, following the belated confirmation of Wilfried Nancy’s appointment.

ByRobbie Walls Dec 4, 2025

Hopefully, Donovan’s emergence this season is a sign that Celtic have learned from their mistakes with Vata and Doak and will be able to keep hold of their emerging talents in the future, instead of losing them for compensation fees.

Manchester United and INEOS are now reportedly stalling on a new contract for Kobbie Mainoo, as doubts over his Old Trafford future continue.

Mainoo’s fall from grace has been sad to see of late, considering the midfielder emerged has one of the most emerging youth products in years with the Red Devils, even starting for England at Euro 2024 last year.

The 20-year-old has been limited to just 138 minutes of Premier League action across seven cameo appearances this season, with Ruben Amorim not considering him a key man.

It remains to be seen what will happen with Mainoo, but journalist Simon Stone gave his thoughts earlier this week, suggesting his time at Old Trafford may still have legs.

Mainoo contract talks stall with transfer ruled out

Now, speaking to Football Insider, journalist Pete O’Rourke provided an update on Mainoo’s Manchester United future, claiming talks over a new deal have stalled with INEOS, but that they won’t let him leave.

“I’m sure it’s (handing Mainoo a new contract) something that Man United would definitely be interested in doing. They’ve been in talks with Mainoo for a while now over a new contract. Suggestions are now that contract talks have been put on hold because of his uncertain future at Old Trafford.

“We know Mainoo was interested in a move away in the summer window as he knew he wasn’t going to be playing in Ruben Amorim’s side. I don’t think he’s started a Premier League game so far this season.

“For United, on their part, they don’t really want to lose Kobbie Mainoo, and that’s why they blocked the move in the summer window and obviously I think they’d be reluctant to let him go in January as well because United want to be competing in that top four, if they can.”

To lose Mainoo so early in his career would be a negative for United, given his vast potential, so the hope is that Amorim and INEOS’ stance on him changes.

Granted, he has endured a year of struggles, not helped by injury problems, but he is a special young footballer with the natural ability to be a star, as he has already shown in his career.

Antoine Semenyo chooses between Man Utd and Liverpool

What a signing this could be…

1 ByHenry Jackson Nov 22, 2025

Hopefully, a contract extension is agreed, but ultimately, if the manager and the club don’t value Mainoo enough, a move away could be best for everyone, sad as it would be.

49ers keen on signing Man Utd star Kobbie Mainoo for Leeds