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Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez had himself a game on Saturday night. Although the Atlanta Braves beat Arizona 8-7 in 10 innings at Chase Field, Suarez hit four home runs, tying the MLB record for most home runs in a game.

So though hometown fans suffered through a loss, they also got to witness just the 19th four-home-run game in MLB history. Suarez finished 4-for-4 with four home runs and five RBIs.

Suarez homered off Atlanta starter Grant Holmes in the 2nd, 4th and 6th, then took closer Raisel Iglesias deep in the 9th to send the game to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, the Diamondbacks went down in order, leaving Suarez in the hole when the game ended.

Suarez started his major league career with the Detroit Tigers in 2014, then spent seven seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, where he made the All-Star team in 2018 and hit 49 home runs in 2019. He then spent two years with the Seattle Mariners and is now in his second season with the Diamondbacks.

With his historic four home-run night, Suarez now has 286 dingers in his career.

He is also prolific when it comes to strikeouts. He led the league in strikeouts three times and is 48th all-time.

The Premier League has had some of the greatest managers football has ever seen since it’s creation in 1992. From Sir Alex Ferguson to Arsene Wenger and now Pep Guardiola, the best coaches regularly end up in England’s top flight.

Nowadays, managers don’t have as much time to make an impact, making it more important than ever that they get results quickly, regardless of the style.

All 20 Premier League managers' salaries

But who is the best and worst manager in the Premier League this season? Here is a ranked list of all 20 managers in the division right now.

Premier League managers ranked
Rank	Manager	Club
1	Pep Guardiola	Man City
2	Mikel Arteta	Arsenal
3	Enzo Maresca	Chelsea
4	Unai Emery	Aston Villa
5	Oliver Glasner	Crystal Palace
6	Andoni Iraola	Bournemouth
7	Eddie Howe	Newcastle
8	Regis Le Bris	Sunderland
9	Ruben Amorim	Man United
10	Arne Slot	Liverpool
11	David Moyes	Everton
12	Fabian Hurzeler	Brighton
13	Thomas Frank	Tottenham
14	Marco Silva	Fulham
15	Sean Dyche	Nottingham Forest
16	Nuno Espirito Santo	West Ham
17	Keith Andrews	Brentford
18	Daniel Farke	Leeds
19	Scott Parker	Burnley
20	Rob Edwards	Wolves

21

Rob Edwards

Wolves

New Wolves manager Rob Edwards faces a tough task to keep the Old Gold in the Premier League, and his only prior experience of managing in the top flight came with Luton Town.

Edwards failed to keep the Hatters in the division in 2024, losing 24 of his 38 games in charge that season.

20

Scott Parker

Burnley

Scott Parker will be looking to buck the trend and keep his newly-promoted Burnley side in the Premier League.

The Clarets boss previously suffered two relegations when in charge of Fulham and averages less than a point per game in the top flight.

19

Daniel Farke

Leeds

Another manager who has been relegated from the Premier League on two occasions is Leeds boss Daniel Farke.

He couldn’t keep Norwich City in the top flight, and like Parker, averages less than one point per game in the division.

18

Keith Andrews

Brentford

Keith Andrews is in the early stages of his senior managerial career after taking over from Thomas Frank at Brentford.

The Irishman has made a relatively positive start, beating both Liverpool and Man Utd at the Gtech Community Stadium.

17

Nuno Espirito Santo

West Ham

Nuno Espirito Santo has had some brilliant moments in the Premier League, taking both Wolves and Nottingham Forest into the Europa League.

However, the Portuguese boss has also had a failed stint at Tottenham and is now struggling to get the best out of his West Ham squad.

16

Sean Dyche

Nottingham Forest

Back in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest, Sean Dyche has plenty of experience in the top flight following previous stints with Burnley and Everton.

He did a solid job at both, even taking the Clarets into the Europa League back in 2018. His football may not be the most attractive, but Dyche gets the job done more often than not and will be looking to do just that with Nottingham Forest.

15

Marco Silva

Fulham

An experienced Premier League manager after stints with Hull City, Watford and Everton, Marco Silva has enjoyed the majority of his success in England with Fulham.

He’s managed more games at Craven Cottage than what he did with the three aforementioned clubs combined, helping make Fulham an established top flight side.

14

Thomas Frank

Tottenham

After doing a brilliant job at Brentford where he took the Bees to the Premier League and comfortably kept them in the top flight, Thomas Frank took the leap to join Tottenham in 2025.

Results early on were positive for the Dane, who has continued his flexible and adaptable approach in north London, but the Lilywhites’ home form is major cause for concern.

13

Fabian Hurzeler

Brighton

The youngest ever permanent manager in Premier League history, Brighton’s move for Fabian Hurzeler has paid off so far.

The German’s possession-based style and attacking philosophy has seen the Seagulls record some impressive wins at the Amex Stadium, and he could be the one to take the club back into European competition.

12

Southampton are now two wins from two in the Championship without Will Still occupying the Saints’ hot seat.

Amazingly, this is the first time the South Coast titans have won back-to-back league contests since April 2024, with a miserable bottom-of-the-table finish last season not helping this dismal record, which was then being followed up by Still, unfortunately, looking out of his depth at St. Mary’s.

Now only seven points off the Championship playoff spots, it does feel as if the Saints could mount a promotion push if they can get their next managerial appointment spot on.

All signs are pointing to Gary O’Neil being Still’s successor, as the 42-year-old attempts to put his previous Portsmouth ties to one side as a player, to potentially take over Pompey’s fierce rivals…

The latest on Southampton's manager hunt

The ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers boss is the current frontrunner for the Saints vacancy, with reports in recent days noting that they were trying to conclude a deal having established contact with O’Neil.

However, the unemployed head coach is also being considered by Southampton’s Championship rivals, Norwich City, with the Canaries previously having O’Neil on their books as a midfield star before he retired.

Southampton haven’t just been linked with O’Neil. A return for Russell Martin to the St. Mary’s dugout is also being speculated, after his disastrous time at Rangers was cut short.

Moreover, the current interim manager steering the ship steadily in Tonda Eckert shouldn’t be ruled out, either.

As the German made it two wins from two in a caretaker position, it was reported by Football Insider that he is one of the ‘main’ and ‘key’ contenders under consideration to be given the job.

It would be a risky appointment, with Eckert more used to coaching U21s football than managing in the senior game.

But, to get a disgruntled fanbase back on side, it might well be a better move than going after O’Neil’s services.

Why Eckert could be a better appointment than O'Neil

Of course, in O’Neil’s favour, he has managed at the very top of the English game and succeeded in flashes.

He managed to galvanise the Old Gold during the 2023/24 season, even as the likes of Ruben Neves and Nathan Collins jumped ship, with 13 league wins helping Wolves to a comfortable 14th spot in the unforgiving division. Could he be that same stabilising force on the South Coast that pushes Southampton out of their current mess?

However, when the going got tough at Molineux after a bright 23/24 campaign, everything unravelled at a worryingly quick pace, with just two wins from 16 games in charge the following season – which saw Wolves leak 40 goals – seeing him be unsurprisingly put out of his misery.

Chairman Jeff Shi even stated that he cut ties “too late”, with the mood around St. Mary’s no doubt souring if Southampton’s form was to fall off a cliff under his guidance, owing, again, to his strong Fratton Park loyalties.

Southampton could look to continuity instead, in bumping Eckert up to first-team managerial duties, with the 32-year-old much in the same mould as Still before him in being a new and exciting breed of head coach.

Games managed

12

Wins

7

Draws

4

Losses

1

Goals scored

26

Goals conceded

18

Said to favour a 3-4-2-1 formation, Eckert has also largely been a success at the Saints to date, away from picking up two wins from two as the interim fill-in, with five wins and four draws also collected, working closely with the rising stars coming through at Southampton in the U21 ranks.

He has also been a transformative figure for the senior players to latch on to as well, with Adam Armstrong already picking up an assist against Queens Park Rangers and a goal against the Owls under his short reign to date, with statement summer signing Finn Azaz also on the scoresheet under Eckert last match to pick up his first strike in Southampton red and white since late August.

Azaz would even publicly praise the 32-year-old after that 3-1 victory for being a “very detailed” boss, with the feel-good times hopefully continuing if he can collect more wins.

Surely, if more wins are secured, Eckert will be handed the permanent gig.

After all, the promotion-winning Martin was just a year older than Eckert when he was given his first main job at Milton Keynes Dons, with a move for O’Neil just feeling a lot more stale.

Southampton now 'looking to finalise' deal with "underrated" manager after contact

The Saints are chasing a replacement for Will Still.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 8, 2025

Manchester United moved up to ninth in the Premier League table and within two points of the Champions League places with a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

The Red Devils claimed all three points at Anfield for the first time since January 2016 after a late header from Harry Maguire sealed the victory for the away side.

Bruno Fernandes volleyed a brilliant ball to the back stick for the England international to nod the ball back the other way into the far corner, just six minutes after Cody Gakpo’s equaliser.

Whilst it was Maguire who scored the winning goal, United had Senne Lammens to thank for the three points because of his performance in goal.

Why Senne Lammens won Man Utd the game against Liverpool

United have had their fair share of troubles with goalkeepers in recent seasons. Altay Bayindir conceded 0.84 more than expected and made one error that led to a goal in the first six matches of the Premier League season, per Sofascore.

Lammens, however, has come in from Royal Antwerp and looks to be a safe pair of hands. After a clean sheet against Sunderland, the Belgian giant made four saves and prevented 1.25 goals, per Sofascore, against Liverpool.

The pick of the saves came in the first half when he prevented British-record signing Alexander Isak from scoring by smartly sticking a foot out to keep the shot out of his net.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Without his shot-stopping and calmness behind the defence, Man United may have only come away from Anfield with a point, or none, given how poorly Altay performed at the start of the season.

Whilst Lammens was a shining light in goal and should be considered undroppable, Mason Mount should be ditched from the starting XI by Ruben Amorim.

Why Man Utd should drop Mason Mount

The England international, who scored against Sunderland before the break, started as part of a fluid front three alongside Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, with Benjamin Sesko dropped to the bench.

It was a tactic that worked, to a point, as the movement across the front confused the Liverpool defence and created some promising moments, including Mbeumo’s goal.

Mount’s individual performance, though, suggests that the £66.4m signing from RB Leipzig should be brought back in to lead the line against Brighton next weekend.

Minutes

61

29

Shots

2

1

Big chances missed

1

0

Touches

19

19

Pass accuracy

58%

62%

Key passes

0

1

Big chances created

0

0

Successful dribbles

0

1

Duels won

1/3

4/6

As you can see in the table above, Sesko created more chances, completed more dribbles, and won four times as many duels, in roughly half as much time on the pitch.

The Slovenia international, who has scored two Premier League goals this season, offers a physical presence at the top end of the pitch that allows Mbeumo and Cunha to play off him, which they did not have when Mount and Cunha were rotating in the number nine role.

Mount played the role that was asked of him by Amorim and provided energy in the win over Liverpool, but his end product in and out possession was simply not good enough, as he had even fewer touches of the ball (19) than Lammens in goal (55), per Sofascore.

This is why the head coach should ruthlessly drop him from the starting XI in order to bring Sesko back in to lead the line against Brighton next time out, as the former Leipzig man is a natural number nine who can offer a greater threat in front of goal.

Forget Mainoo: Amorim has the next Pogba in "generational" Man Utd talent

Manchester United appear to have another elite-level star already within Ruben Amorim’s ranks.

2 ByEthan Lamb Oct 18, 2025

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has already made a decision on the long-term future of a promising player ahead of 2026, with the Spaniard having no place for him in his long-term plans for the North Londoners.

Arsenal prepare for imminent Premier League return against Fulham

The Gunners entered this international break on a near-perfect run of form.

Arteta’s side, barring their 1-1 draw with Man City, have won every single match in all competitions since the last international break, including a dramatic win at Newcastle, where Arsenal showcased a Liverpool-esque ability to nick three points right at the death, despite not playing at their best.

Arsenal’s manager will be quietly thrilled by his squad’s reaction to their first and only defeat of the campaign so far at Anfield, with the Gunners’ impressive unbeaten run since catapulting them to the Premier League summit.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Premier League

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Champions League

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Premier League

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Carabao Cup

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Premier League

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Champions League

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Premier League

The only piece of bad news for Arteta recently has been club captain Martin Odegaard’s knee injury, with the Norway international not expected to return until after the November international break.

Odegaard joins Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke’s on Arsenal’s long-term injury list, but luckily for Arteta, summer signing Piero Hincapie is set to be available for their clash against Fulham this weekend.

Hincapie has been struggling with a groin problem since joining from Bayer Leverkusen on loan with a £45 million option to buy, with the Ecuador international playing just one minute for Arteta so far and still waiting for his Premier League debut.

The 23-year-old was brought in as a direct replacement for Jakub Kiwior, who joined FC Porto on loan in the summer window.

Kiwior, by contrast to Hincapie, has got off to an excellent start to his temporary spell in Portugal. He’s started every league game since his switch to the Primeira Liga, helping Francesco Farioli’s side to maintain their unbeaten run domestically and in the Europa League.

Porto have also conceded just two goals in all competitions so far, with the 25-year-old finding his feet very quickly abroad.

Jakub Kiwior to leave Arsenal for good after Mikel Arteta decision

Kiwior’s loan includes an obligation to become permanent for around £15 million plus add-ons if certain conditions are met, and it appears as if the Poland international is firmly on his way to meeting those requirements to seal an indefinite Arsenal exit.

This is just as well, with Arteta already deciding that there is no place for the ex-Spezia man in his long-term plans.

That is according to reports from Spain, which state that, even if Kiwior doesn’t end up meeting the obligation conditions at Porto, Arsenal are set to sell the defender next summer and have put a £21.5 million price tag on his head in the event he becomes available again.

As things stand, the most likely scenario is Kiwior joining Porto permanently, and it is believed they wish to secure his future in April or May after an impressive early run of form under Farioli.

Called a “sensational talent” by members of the media, it was always a tall order for Kiwior to establish himself as a mainstay Arsenal starter ahead of Gabriel and William Saliba, who’ve established themselves as two of the top five best centre-backs in world football.

Rank

Player

Age

Club

Nation

1

Virgil van Dijk

34

Liverpool

Netherlands

2

Antonio Rudiger

32

Real Madrid

Germany

3

Gabriel Magalhaes

27

Arsenal

Brazil

4

Alessandro Bastoni

26

Inter Milan

Italy

5

William Saliba

24

Arsenal

France

That being said, his ability was never lost on Arteta.

West Ham United face a familiar struggle for goals this season and now appear to be taking steps in an effort to rectify the problem come the January window.

West Ham offer youth a chance in hunt for goals

Niclas Fullkrug and Callum Wilson are both experienced heads in front of goal and Jarrod Bowen is a permanent threat for the Hammers. However, there has been a frustrating lack of goals dispersed throughout their side lately, contributing to their Premier League struggles.

In surprise fashion, Northern Ireland international Callum Marshall earned his top-flight debut as West Ham chased a way back into the match in their defeat away to Arsenal, leading Nuno Espirito Santo to talk up his potential post-match.

He stated: “What I’ve been seeing in training sessions, his energy, he’s a good finisher, good mobility, he can recognise the gaps in the space, he has a good chance. Even though he’s not a strong boy against a very tough centre-half, he managed to get the header, so I think we have something that we can use.

“We’re going to have three strikers available: (Niclas) Fullkrug, Callum Wilson, and Marshall. We’re going to need all of them, different players, that are going to give us different solutions and options moving forward.”

Scottish youngster Josh Landers is another candidate to bolster West Ham’s forward line after 14 goals in 19 matches last term. Nevertheless, it feels likely that Nuno will turn to the transfer window after his side’s return of six goals in seven matches.

Weekly wages: West Ham United FC 2025/26 highest-paid players

The Irons’ biggest earners for the 2025/26 season…

ByCharlie Smith Sep 24, 2025

Desperate times call for desperate measures and the new regime will have designs on evading the relegation zone and building momentum, and they may look for a helping hand in the form of an out-of-favour striker.

West Ham ask to keep informed on Joshua Zirkzee

According to TEAMtalk, West Ham have asked to keep informed on Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee as the Netherlands international continues to be out of favour at Old Trafford. Intermediaries will run the rule over potential options for the forward, with both loan moves and permanent arrangements set to be explored and the player open to joining another English club.

Joshua Zirkzee’s tally at Manchester United

Appearances

53

Goals

7

Assists

3

Zirkzee believes he can succeed in the Premier League and would be open to remaining on English soil, albeit Juventus and AC Milan have previously shown interest in bringing the 24-year-old back to Serie A following his exploits with Bologna.

Coming in as a caveat, the Schiedam-born man isn’t a conventional number nine and has come off the frontline to link play regularly since his £36.5 million move to Manchester United last summer.

Either way, his talent would undeniably improve West Ham’s shrinking pool of options if they were to convince him that the London Stadium is the best place to take his next career step, though only time will tell whether that scenario can become a reality.

Arsenal's run of four games without a win came to an end on Sunday, albeit only thanks to an own goal from Brighton's Marisa Olislagers in a narrow 1-0 victory. The Gunners will be relieved to have avoided extending their barren streak to what would've been their worst in 11 years but the same sluggishness in attack persisted, with Daphne van Domselaar's terrific second half save to deny Carla Camacho proving to be particularly important come the final whistle.

Van Domselaar has been struggling with her own individual form, too, with a high-profile mistake in the Champions League loss to Lyon in midweek highlighting as much. For the Dutchwoman to bounce back with a strong display here, then, will have been one of the most encouraging aspects of the entire afternoon for those of an Arsenal persuasion.

At the start of the game, there looked like there would be more positives, too. The Gunners started well, with Olivia Smith and Caitlin Foord causing plenty of problems in the wide areas before the two then linked up in the build-up to the only goal, which saw Smith's cross deflect off Olislagers and into the back of the net after 15 minutes. However, neither winger was particularly accurate with their final ball, while the overall slow pace of the Arsenal play failed to stretch a well-organised Brighton defence.

Instead, it was the Seagulls who had the better chances, as Kiko Seike and Fran Kirby tested Van Domselaar in the first half and Camacho started to find her range in the second, only for the goalkeeper to produce an outstanding reflex save on the hour mark to deny the young Spaniard what looked a certain goal. Stoppages in play for injuries not long after that halted Brighton's momentum, though, while Arsenal's introduction of Stina Blackstenius helped give the hosts more threat, with the Swede unlucky not to make the end of the game more comfortable for her team when her header struck the bar late on. 

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates Stadium…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Daphne van Domselaar (7/10):

Made a terrific save to deny Camacho an equaliser on the hour and positioned herself well to make her other stops very comfortable, too. A confidence-boosting performance for the goalkeeper, whose recent form has been shaky.

Emily Fox (6/10):

A solid display in which she did little wrong defensively, though couldn't make too much impact going forward.

Katie Reid (6/10):

A little sloppier on the ball today than she has been throughout her strong start to the season. Outstanding in her duels, however.

Steph Catley (6/10):

Was generally tidy in possession and relatively untroubled off the ball.

Katie McCabe (6/10):

Had some real problems dealing with Seike in the first half but fared better after the break.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Kim Little (6/10):

Kept the ball tidily at the base of midfield, though didn't do much to speed up the play going forward.

Mariona Caldentey (6/10):

Moved the ball well and was often central to Arsenal's best moves. Like Little, though, she could and should've done more to move the Brighton back line around.

Frida Maanum (5/10):

Had an effort cleared off the line from a corner but otherwise struggled to really make her mark against a well-organised Brighton defence.

Getty ImagesAttack

Olivia Smith (6/10):

Caused plenty of problems, with it her cross that produced the opening goal, but did lack efficiency with her end product overall.

Alessia Russo (5/10):

Worked hard off the ball but got so little service, with crosses just not finding her.

Caitlin Foord (6/10):

Arsenal's liveliest performer throughout the afternoon, though her final ball should have been better on numerous occasions.

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Subs & Manager

Kyra Cooney-Cross (6/10):

Made a positive impact in midfield with some driving runs and quality passing.

Stina Blackstenius (6/10):

Caused Brighton problems with her clever movement and was very unlucky not to add to Arsenal's lead when her header from McCabe's corner hit the bar.

Beth Mead (5/10):

Worked hard off the ball, though couldn't make a huge impact on it.

Chloe Kelly (N/A):

A late sub as Arsenal saw the game out.

Renee Slegers (6/10):

A win is a win but there wasn't much in this Arsenal performance to suggest their recent bad run is totally behind them. The Gunners started well but appeared content with the slender lead, doing little to add to it. That did improve a little with Slegers' subs, which were a little different to her usual changes, which was a positive.

South Africa will not host any men’s Tests next summer, in accordance with the Future Tours Programme (FTP), and only have one inbound tour – a five-match T20I series against West Indies – in the 2025-26 season. This is the first time since readmission that South Africa will not host men’s Tests with the next long-format home fixtures scheduled for October 2026 against Australia.The lean schedule will allow for Cricket South Africa to focus on stadium upgrades ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Several of the country’s premier grounds will have makeovers including new floodlights and drop-in pitches, which will be prepared well ahead of time and tested before the main event.It will also give the South African women’s side the spotlight, as they host Ireland and Pakistan for three T20Is and three ODIs each. They will play matches at all of South Africa’s big five venues: Newlands in Cape Town, St George’s Park in Gqeberha, the Wanderers in Johannesburg, SuperSport Park in Centurion and Kingsmead in DurbanThe women’s team will visit the smaller centres in Paarl, Benoni, East London, Potchefstroom, Bloemfontein and Kimberley as well, meaning they will have a match at all the country’s major grounds in the same season. The Pakistan series also marks the first round of the new Women’s Championship cycle, leading up to the 2029 ODI World Cup.”We are looking forward to seeing our women take on Ireland and Pakistan,” CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said in a release. “These tours not only provide our team with strong competition but also give our fans an opportunity to watch the Proteas Women compete at their favourite venues across the country.Moseki explained the men’s international window as being “unusually shorter next season due to outbound bilateral tours,” with South Africa’s white-ball sides touring Australia and England in August and September and the Test team due to play two-match series in Pakistan and India in November and December.The absence of home Tests has also allowed the SA20 to move into the festive window for the first and only time. It will be played between December 26 and January 26, with the West Indies series to follow immediately afterwards. The five matches are spread between the coastal venues and the Highveld but neither Gqeberha nor Durban will host a game. South African players will therefore have six weeks of T20 cricket before the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, which starts in February.CSA have also arranged one A tour, against New Zealand A, which will include three one-day matches and two four-day matches at the start of the summer. The games will be played in Pretoria and Potchefstroom.The dearth of home Tests next summer will be followed by a boon in the 2026-27 season when South Africa’s men will host England and Australia for three Tests each and Bangladesh for two matches while the women’s team will play Tests against India and Australia for a total of 10 Tests.

Iconic Premier League manager Rafael Benitez wants to make a managerial comeback in England's top-flight before formally ending his illustrious coaching career. The Spanish head coach managed four different English clubs in the last three decades, including his maiden stint at Anfield, where he guided Liverpool to their fifth Champions League title.

• Benitez last managed Everton in England

  Benitez returned to England in 2021 and took charge of Liverpool city rivals Everton on three-year deal but his stint was abruptly cut short as he was relieved of his duties in January 2022 after a series of poor results at Goodison Park. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Benitez admits he is still active as manager

  The 65-year-old Spaniard, who has won mutiple trophies in England, including two European trophies with Liverpool and Chelsea, has clarified that he is still active as a manager and would love take up a new job in England or any of the top European leagues.

• "Don't want people to think I am finished"

  Speaking to , Benitez said: "Sometimes to be described as ‘a legend’ is very nice, but also complicated. It is bad for a coach to be seen as retired. People still ask me, ‘Do you want to coach?’ For sure, I do, particularly in England and Europe. I do not want people to think I am finished. I am still evolving."

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• AFP
  

  What is Benitez doing now?

  At the moment, Benitez is back in Merseyside and will attend Sunday's derby clash between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield.

There’s no denying that West Ham United look a little light with the 2025/26 Premier League season just two weeks away, even after the defensive acquisitions of Kyle Walker-Peters and El Hadj Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague.

Mohammed Kudus has not yet been replaced after completing a controversial £55m switch to Tottenham Hotspur, and Crysencio Summerville remains injured after sustaining a hamstring injury that ruled him out for the final 18 games of the term.

However, Lucas Paqueta’s absolution from wrongdoing in a two-year-long spot-fixing case marks a galvanising lift and potentially the catalyst for change. A turning point.

However, the Irons still need more, and no mistake. Paqueta is a high-level playmaker, but he could with a foil, someone to shoulder his burden at times.

And Potter has got the perfect young star in his sights.

West Ham lining up more attacking quality

Skipper Jarrod Bowen remains West Ham’s offensive linchpin, but he needs some help in the final third after a rather uninspiring 2024/25 as a collective.

Goalscoring quality remains a pressing issue, but United averaged just 1.53 goal-creating actions per 90 last term, as per FBref, which surpassed only the three relegated sides.

As such, Potter may look to complete a move for Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, who is anticipated to leave Anfield this summer, having been limited for playing time under Arne Slot.

Football Insider report that the Hammers are ready to make their move, pushing ahead with plans to sign the £50m-rated midfielder.

Elliott, 22, has held talks with a number of suitors, and West Ham are joined by Newcastle United and Tottenham, among others, in their intrigue.

Why West Ham want Harvey Elliott

Though Elliott struggled for match action at Liverpool last season, he still managed to showcase his ability on numerous occasions, notably scoring in three successive Champions League fixtures.

A diminutive and versatile midfielder, Elliott’s technical ability on the ball serves as the staple of his skill set, with one-time Liverpool U18s head coach Neil Critchley praising his ability to create “magic” through his passing.

As per FBref, the England U21 international ranked last season among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues for goal involvements, passes attempted and progressive passes, as well as the top 15% for goal-creating actions per 90.

Thus, Elliott’s potential to become a special player for a team like West Ham is underscored, and he could even rekindle the finest form of Bowen, who still wrapped up the latest campaign with a respectable haul of 13 goals and ten assists in the Premier League.

Elliott came up trumps through the 2023/24 campaign, providing plenty of creative support as Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool struggled against a slew of unfortunate injuries.

24/25

28

5

3

23/24

53

4

14

22/23

46

5

2

21/22

11

1

0

*20/21

1

0

1

19/20

8

0

1

He has the tenacity and winning mentality, inculcated in him through his years on Merseyside, to combine with Bowen, who is a spirit-lifting star in his own right.

Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino once said that Bowen is “direct and he’s a bit like Salah” when discussing the complete forwards’ fast rise at the London Stadium, and this only strengthens the case for him being a dream partner for Elliott.

Landing Elliott would be a statement signing, all right, and perhaps what West Ham need to hit their stride and return to the forefront next season.

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1 ByJoe Nuttall Aug 1, 2025