5/09/2025

SPORTS FRIDAY | SEPT 5, 2025

30

Glitter may not be gold Isak concerns raised at Liverpool after blockbuster record transfer F ORMER Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has raised concerns over how Alexander Isak will fit in at Anfield given Liverpool’s wealth of options in attack. netting in each of his first two Premier League appearances. But Pardew, who coached the Magpies from 2010 until 2014, is concerned about what Isak’s signing will mean for his development.

SIDENETTING Chiesa fails to make the cut FEDERICO CHIESA has been left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad at the expense of exciting teenaged forward Rio Ngumhoa. The 27-year-old Italy international, a cult hero at Anfield despite his lack of playing time, missed the cut as only 17 homegrown players are allowed on the list. With Liverpool having already signed the likes of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Giovanni Leoni and Giorgi Mamardashvili this summer, the British record deadline day capture of Alexander Isak proved decisive for Chiesa. That is because head coach Arne Slot opted to name Ngumhoa, who only turned 17 last Friday, after the teenager impressed in pre-season and came off the bench to score a late winner at Newcastle on his Premier League debut. No FA appeal over Paqueta case THE Football Association has said it will not appeal against an independent commission’s decision to clear West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta of four spot fixing charges. Sanctions in relation to two charges which were found proven – relating to an alleged failure to co-operate with the FA investigation – will be decided by the commission at the earliest opportunity, the FA said. “The FA is committed to ensuring that the integrity of football is maintained, and full and thorough investigations will always be conducted into serious allegations of rule breaches,” said a statement. It had been alleged Paqueta deliberately attempted to receive a card in four Premier League games between November 2022 and August 2023, but the charges were found not proven. Webb says VAR made ‘misjudgement’ PGMOL chief Howard Webb says it was a “misjudgement”to disallow Josh King’s goal in Fulham’s 2-0 Premier League defeat at Chelsea. The 18-year-old midfielder’s effort was ruled out after a VAR check due to Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz stepping on Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah’s foot in the lead-up to the goal. Fulham manager Marco Silva was left fuming by the decision, labelling it “unbelievable” in his post-match comments. The fallout from the decision saw Michael Salisbury, the VAR official for the fixture, stood down for the Premier League game between Liverpool and Arsenal on Sunday. “It wasn’t controversial, it was wrong,” Webb said on Match Officials Mic’d Up TV . “We’ve established some principles in terms of how we officiate in the Premier League and how we use VAR. “They sit around a high threshold for penalising contact, aiding the flow, rhythm and tempo of the game. We’ve also established a high bar for intervention with VAR. “In this situation, that guidance wasn’t followed properly. There was a misjudgement by the officials involved in this situation about how that contact happened between Muniz and Chalobah. “The officials got super focused on that contact, without looking at the full context of how it happened.” VAR has been under scrutiny early in the new season, with Burnley manager Scott Parker voicing his frustration after his side conceded a contentious late penalty at Manchester United.

much a centre forward at heart. Isak, 25, has himself shown a knack for playing out wide when required, though it’s highly unlikely Liverpool plan to play him anywhere except through the middle. That being said, it illustrates how he and Ekitike perhaps could interlink in the same team should Slot wish to field both players at the same time. In truth, Cody Gakpo, who just signed a new deal at Anfield, could be the biggest loser from Isak’s arrival should Ekitike take some of his minutes on the left flank. The Dutchman has been one of Liverpool’s most improved players in recent times, but inevitable tweaks will put his place in danger. Isak, who scored 62 goals in 109 appearances for Newcastle, is too expensive not to play as the primary choice in his preferred position. And Pardew may be right to question where that leaves Ekitike, who may be wondering what lies in store for him after inadvertently signing on to play second fiddle. – Express Newspapers

The Swede set a new British transfer record on deadline day after completing a £125 million (RM725m) transfer to the Reds. Isak’s arrival means Arne Slot’s side are even more favoured to successfully defend their Premier League title. The Merseysiders have won three games from three so far this season and have already opened up a cushion at the summit after beating Arsenal on Sunday. However, Pardew is concerned about what Isak’s arrival means for Hugo Ekitike, who completed his own move to Anfield earlier this summer. Liverpool signed the Frenchman from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial £69 million (RM400m) after Newcastle turned down their first approach for Isak. Ekitike, 23, hasn’t taken long to settle in after

“I think Hugo Ekitike and his agent will be concerned about Alexander Isak joining. Let’s be honest,” he said on Sky Sports News . “My opinion, where’s he going to play? I don’t see (them) playing together, one or the other. I think so. And I think he’ll be coming off and on the bench.” Ekitike has been hailed as one of the most promising strikers in Europe for some time and has backed up that promise thus far in Liverpool colours. He found the back of the net in the Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace before scoring against both Bournemouth and Newcastle in recent weeks. The youngster has played out on the left on occasion, both at club level and with France’s U 21 team. However, the Reims-born talent is very

Loftus-Cheek hopes versatility wins him England start

Ű BY JONATHAN VEAL

in any position. “I remember when he came into Chelsea, he came to me and spoke to me about playing right wing back. I said, ‘No, no, no’. But I played there anyway! “I played many positions under him. He valued my physicality, so I’m used to working under him. He’s a very intelligent guy and manager. He knows the game so well, so hopefully we can do well under him.” Loftus-Cheek could have been forgiven for thinking his England days were over, with his career stalling after suffering a serious Achilles injury in a post-season friendly in the summer of 2019. He was expecting a quiet international break and was enjoying some quality time with his mum when he got the call that he was making a return. “I was notified before the weekend that I was kind of what England are thinking about so be ready, but I wasn’t in the first squad,” he added. “With Milan, we played Friday so I had a couple of days to come back and see my family, so I was in England anyway then I got the call that I would be coming to join the squad, it was a nice feeling. “I was actually seeing my mum, I was at my mum’s house, it was a good feeling.” – The Independent

AC Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek (right) in action with Lecce’s Tiago Gabriel (left). – REUTERSPIC

AC MILAN midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek hopes his versatility can help take him to the World Cup after earning an England recall. The 29-year-old was called up to Thomas Tuchel’s squad for forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia after Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton suffered a groin injury. He returns to the fold for the first time in six years, with his last call-up coming in March 2019, but has the advantage of knowing Tuchel from their days together at Chelsea. Tuchel used Loftus-Cheek as a right wing-back, central midfielder and central defender and that could stand him in good stead for next summer’s World Cup. “He knows I’m able to play different positions,” Loftus-Cheek said. “Since I’ve been at Milan I played a lot higher, closer to the striker to get goals and help the team in the final third. “But under Thomas I played a lot more deeper, so I’m able to do that. And of course, with things that can happen in a tournament, being versatile is kind of a good thing. “So when it comes to that I’m happy to play anywhere, feeling for the team, to do my best

Bellingham’s will to win sets example for Lions: Rogers

Ű BY JONATHAN VEAL

“He just wants to win. He’s got that determination, that fight and that hunger to win and do well and succeed. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a problem or an issue. He is a leader and is an example for us. “That’s exactly what you need. I know he’s younger, but the experience that he’s got, the things that he’s won and games he’s played in, I think that experience is vital and key. “I think it’s a positive and a really good thing that he’s got that eagerness and that want to win. “I think it can drag you all along, if maybe something’s not going right, and it can pull you together.” – The Independent

Few have known Bellingham as long or as well as Rogers, with the pair growing up together in the West Midlands, and the Aston Villa man insists his friend’s fieriness should inspire others. “I don’t think he intimidates us,” Rogers told BBC Radio 5 Live . “I think it’s just his will to win, his heart, what it means to him, the player he is and the person he is. “I think he just wants to win and do well all the time. And when that doesn’t happen, maybe his frustrations will show a bit more than others. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, as long as he’s doing it in the right way, which he always does from where I am.

MORGAN ROGERS has praised close friend Jude Bellingham, saying his fiery nature is an example to his England teammates. Boss Thomas Tuchel was forced to apologise to Bellingham after saying his mother found the midfielder’s on-field attitude “repulsive”, insisting he had used the wrong word in his second language. Tuchel also said in the interview with talkSPORT that the Real Madrid star, who is absent from the current international camp as he recovers from shoulder surgery, could be intimidating to his teammates.