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Juan Soto did not have a great night against the Boston Red Sox on Monday.

Soto went 1-for-4 as the Mets lost for the fourth time in the last five games. Soto grounded out three times, including an inning-ending double play. And when he did reach safely, it was on a very long single that hit about halfway up the Green Monster.

Left fielder Jarren Durran fielded the ball once it finally came down and threw the ball into second base as Juan Soto headed back to first. On the very next pitch, as SNY's Gary Cohen remarked that Soto had "barely got to first," he stole second to make up for the lack of hustle.

Not that Soto thinks he isn't hustling. Just one night after he took his time running out a ground ball late in a tie game that ended up being another Mets loss, Soto was asked if hustling was something he had to be more aware of.

"No," said Soto. "I think I've been hustling pretty hard. You can see it today. You can tell."

Soto's Mets tenure has not gotten off to the start that anyone in New York had expected or hoped, unless you count Yankees fans. Even so, while radio hosts have already begun to freak out about Soto's play, the Mets are still tied for first place in the NL East.

With more than 14 years remaining on his record-breaking contract, there's still plenty of time for Soto to turn things around.

UPDATE: The original article said the right fielder fielded the ball.

Newcastle United defender Dan Burn has revealed that he has ended his long-running feud with Arsenal star Kai Havertz in bizarre circumstances. The beef started three years back when Havertz was still at Chelsea, and in the last few years the two players have often become embroiled in physical clashes during matches. However, Burn has now cleared the air with his long-time rival.

• Havertz -Burn feud timeline

  It all started during a Premier League clash between Chelsea and Newcastle in March 2022. Burn suffered a serious head injury and needed stitches after being caught by Havertz's elbow. The Blues went on to win the game 1-0, with the German forward scoring a late winner for his then-employers.

  Later that year, though, Newcastle got their revenge as they beat Chelsea 1-0. At full-time, tempers flared between the two set of players and Havertz and Burn were involved in a particularly feisty altercation. Burn, though later clarified: "It was the emotion of the game wasn't it?. Me and Kai had a few run-ins before and it's just part and parcel of the game. It can get the better of you at the times. But when you are in that environment and clinging on in stoppage time and wanting to win the game, these things happen."

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  Burn and Havertz have buried the hatchet

  The feud lasted more than three years but now Burn has confirmed that all is good between the two players after they caught up for a 'few drinks' during pre-season in Singapore.

  The 33-year-old told : "He's actually, frustratingly enough, quite a nice guy. I had a drink with him and he's actually sound. I saw him in pre-season when we played in Singapore. We had time where we could go and have a few drinks, and we saw some of the Arsenal lads. I just got chatting to him. We both said to each other, 'That's just the way it is when we play', we've just got to be at that sort of level."

• Havertz in a race against time to prove fitness ahead of World Cup

  Havertz has not played for Arsenal since picking up a knee injury in a training session following their season opener against Manchester United. The German forward subsequently underwent surgery, but no firm return date has been set yet, and his recovery could take longer than expected after a setback in his rehabilitation.

  In October, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta had provided the latest on the forward's condition as he told reporters: "With Kai, we know that it will be months with him. I don't know if it can be weeks, you never know because this is Kai and he's a different specimen. We really miss him. Hopefully, he will be back, and back for the long term as well, so it is very important to look after that knee. So far, he's progressing pretty well."

  However, during the November international break, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann gave a worrying update as he said: "Kai (Havertz) had a minor relapse, but overall he’s doing well. Jamal no longer has any major problems. But like Kai, he first needs to get back into rhythm with his club. They have until March to get fully fit, but they obviously need to stabilise now."

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  Burn eyeing place in Tuchel's World Cup squad

  Burn has made it to all five England squads that were named in 2025 since Thomas Tuchel took charge of the team as head coach. The Magpies defender clearly has the backing of the German coach, who has regularly played him in World Cup qualifiers. If the defender can maintain his consistency in the second half of the season and remain injury free, he is seemingly almost certain to get a call-up to Tuchel's World Cup squad that will travel to North America next summer. Burn will be next seen in action on Saturday for Eddie Howe's side as they take on Burnley at home in the Premier League. 

Tottenham Hotspur endured their most embarrassing defeat of the campaign to date yesterday, but doing so against bitter rivals Arsenal at the Emirates.

Thomas Frank’s men suffered a 4-1 loss at the hands of Mikel Arteta’s side, with former transfer target Eberechi Eze netting a hat-trick during the one-sided contest.

Richarlison’s phenomenal long-range effort was overshadowed by the result, with the Dane having a huge task on his hands to prevent such a result from occurring in the near future.

Such a result was the Lilywhites’ first away defeat of the Premier League campaign, but the nature of the North London Derby will be the biggest concern to the supporters.

Numerous players also failed to make a positive impression against the Gunners, which could see their places in the starting eleven be at huge risk in the upcoming fixtures.

Spurs’ poor performers against Arsenal yesterday

Attacker Mohammed Kudus was missing for the last couple of Spurs outings through injury, but the Ghanaian was recalled to the starting eleven for the North London Derby.

However, the 25-year-old struggled to make the desired impact at the Emirates, with his performance one that ultimately failed to impress the fanbase.

He featured for 78 minutes of the contest and was only able to register 30 touches of the ball and ultimately was unable to notch a single effort on David Raya’s goal.

Kudus’ lack of impact will no doubt have been aided by the struggles of the midfield two, with Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur operating at the base of Frank’s side.

The pair were far too ineffective during the defeat to Arteta’s men, subsequently only registering a single pass into the final third between them during the embarrassing display.

The Uruguayan international also lost 100% of the duels he entered against the Gunners, often being dominated by the opposition and being unable to have the desired impact on proceedings.

The Spurs star who had fewer touches than Vicario against Arsenal

Spurs’ display against Arsenal was nothing short of a disgrace, with Frank’s decision to switch to a back five massively restricting the side within forward areas of the pitch.

The defeat against the Gunners has now extended the Lilywhites’ dismal run away from home in such a fixture, with the club now only winning one away game out of their last 33 in the NLD.

Frank’s men only achieved a total xG of 0.07 during the 90 minutes at the Emirates, with Richarlison’s long-ranger goal just one of two shots on target during the contest.

The defensive setup led to the toothless showing yesterday, with the manager needing to take huge responsibility for making such a significant call in a vital clash.

He did hand Wilson Odobert the chance to impress from the off at the Emirates, but like many of his teammates, the Frenchman failed to deliver during the defeat.

The 20-year-old featured for a total of 66 minutes against the Gunners, but he only managed to achieve a total of 23 touches in the process – the lowest of any Lilywhites attacker.

His subsequent tally was lower than that of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, with the Italian racking up a total of 57 as he tried to prevent the onslaught from the hosts.

As for Odobert, his lack of quality within the final third was evident by his underlying figures, which further showcase his inability to impress during his rare league start.

The Frenchman failed to complete any of his two attempted crosses, whilst also failing to register a single effort on Raya’s goal – subsequently being unable to cause the opposition any trouble at all.

Other numbers, such as zero aerials won and nine times possession lost, further highlight his struggles in North London, with the manager potentially wanting to drop the youngster after such a showing.

As a result of his lack of positive impact, Odobert was handed a measly 3/10 match rating by Football London’s Alasdair Gold – topping off a dismal afternoon for the attacker.

His lightweight nature ultimately wasn’t suitable for the Derby Day clash with Arsenal, subsequently highlighting another glaring error made by Frank at the Emirates.

Frank desperately needs to learn from such a selection mistake in the games ahead, otherwise, he could seriously find himself struggling to maintain his position as manager of Spurs.

Spurs flop who looks "non-league" level must never start for Frank again

Tottenham Hotspur fell to a humbling 4-1 defeat against Arsenal in the North Lodnon Derby this evening.

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By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 23, 2025

MLB fans were left holding their breath after Mike Trout exited the Los Angeles Angels' game against the Seattle Mariners with an injury, seemingly stemming from the outfielder trying to run out a ground ball during the third inning on Wednesday.

Although Trout did return to the field after the incident, he was replaced in the lineup by Jo Adell and did not take another at bat.

After the game, Angels manager Ron Washington told reporters that Trout had felt some soreness in his knee when he stepped on first base and the team removed him from the game as a precaution. Trout then told reporters that the knee is already feeling better, and that he's hoping to suit up for Thursday's game, per Jeff Fletcher of the SoCal News Group.

Here's a look at the play in which the injury occurred:

Injuries have been an issue for Trout during the latter half of his career. Last season, Trout played in just 29 games after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee. He was placed on the IL for that injury exactly one year ago today, so to see him dealing with some knee soreness was a major concern for fans. Since 2020, Trout has played in more than 82 games in a season just once.

Fortunately, it seems as if Trout and the Halos dodged a bullet when it comes to the health of his knee this time, as removing him from the game appears to have been nothing more than a precautionary measure.

Jamie Carragher has taken a fresh swipe at Mohamed Salah for supposedly not leading by example amid Liverpool's poor run of form. The Reds legend commended captain Virgil van Dijk for speaking to the media and demanding more from his team-mates. But the former Anfield favourite thinks Salah shouldn't shirk his responsibilities, especially after being vocal about his contract situation last season.

• Carragher feuds with Salah

  This time last year, Carragher branded Salah as "selfish" for publicly expressing his disappointment at Liverpool not offering him a new deal.

  He said on Sky Sports: "The most important thing for Liverpool this season is not the future of Mo Salah, it's not the future of Virgil van Dijk and it's not the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The most important thing is Liverpool winning the Premier League. That is more important than any of those players, and if he continues to put comments out or his agent keeps putting cryptic tweets out, that's selfish, that's thinking about themselves and not the football club."

  The Egypt international bit back at Carragher but the feud eventually ended when the former Roma man signed a two-year deal at Anfield. Fast forward to the present, and the ex-England man has laid into the 33-year-old again in light of Liverpool dropping to 12th in the Premier League and losing six out of their last seven league games. 

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  Salah needs to 'come out as a leader'

  Like Liverpool, Salah has struggled to make a telling impact for Arne Slot's team this season. The forward scored 34 goals last season but this term, he has just five goals in 17 matches. Following the Reds' 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, skipper Van Dijk said "everyone has to take responsibility" for their current malaise, and urged his team-mates to get the Merseyside outfit out of this mess. Now Carragher wants Salah to do something similar going forward.

  Before Manchester United's 1-0 loss to Everton on Monday, he said on Monday Night Football: "I think Virgil van Dijk, after the game, has come out again and spoke, as he should do as a captain, he's called Liverpool a mess. I must say, on the back of all these Liverpool defeats, it's always Virgil van Dijk who comes out. And as I said, the captain should do that, but there should be other players in that dressing room coming out and speaking for the club. A year ago this weekend, Mo Salah wasn't shy in coming out and speaking about his own situation, about the club not offering him a contract. I only ever hear Salah speak when he gets man of the match, or he needs a new contract. I'd like to see Mo Salah come out as one of the leaders, as one of the legends of Liverpool, come out and speak for the team. He shouldn't always be the captain. But, obviously, the manager is the one in the firing line. Any manager with results like that, as you said, if they were part of the bottom four or a promoter team, would be under pressure. So there's no doubt the manager is under pressure now with results like that, on the back of being champions, but also on the fact of what Liverpool spent in the summer."

• Slot positive about Liverpool's future

  While Slot was naturally disappointed with Liverpool's recent results, months on from spending more than £400 million on players this summer, he struck a defiant tone ahead of a busy run of games. The Dutchman added that a "solution" for the Reds could be within their grasp.

  When asked if his players are low on confidence, he replied: "I don't feel this, or I don't see this. After we go 1-0, we struggled. I tried to pump them up and give them the information to start the second half well. Immediately, they go 2-0 up. The players kept trying, I can't blame them for that. They blocked every shot we had. The solution is not that far away. We created chances in every and it's not as if we give away 10 chances. That will not go on forever but we have to look at ourselves and what we can do better when we concede a goal. Two games in a row, we haven't scored."

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  What comes next for Liverpool?

  Liverpool will hope to put the Forest loss behind them when they host PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday at Anfield. The Reds have had more joy in Europe's elite competition this season, so this may be the perfect game to reignite their campaign. After that, they face West Ham, Sunderland, Leeds United, and Inter Milan in the space of 10 days.

Newcastle United are masters at adapting and overcoming adversity. Hurdles have sprung up and sent Eddie Howe’s side tumbling in recent years, but each time the Magpies get themselves airborne once again.

They must prove this mentality remains intact, having struggled to make things click in the Premier League this season.

One ray of light through this up-and-down period has been Nick Woltemade, who has swerved a number of those hurdles to establish himself as one of the most exciting young forwards in Europe.

Could he be the Toon’s most talented player?

Why Nick Woltemade is thriving at Newcastle

Newcastle signed Woltemade from Stuttgart for a club-record £69m fee in August before Alexander Isak had completed his record-breaking move to Liverpool, signalling in all but confirmation the Swede’s looming departure.

With Yoane Wissa also brought in but sidelined before he could make his bow with a knee injury, Woltemade, 23, has assumed quite the heavy load.

But this hasn’t thwarted him.

The striker has scored six goals from his first 13 matches in black and white. Rangy and seemingly a throwback type of frontman, the German is endowed with much technical grace, with reporter Andy Sixsmith hailing him for “mesmerising” link-up ability.

Woltemade is surpassing expectations at number nine for Newcastle, and he is indeed playing like a man in a contest with Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali for the crown as the club’s best player.

But there’s an up-and-coming prospect who might be the cream of the crop, albeit one who requires work over the next few years.

Newcastle's bigger talent than Woltemade

Newcastle have transformed their first team in the four years under Howe’s wing, but PIF have quietly been assembling a youth force to be reckoned with down the line.

And, right at the top of this pack is Vakhtang Salia, who joined St. James’ Park from Dinamo Tbilisi this summer despite rival interest from European heavyweights such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Injury has kept the 18-year-old from featuring for the Toon yet, but he played 57 senior matches for his former Georgian side, scoring eight goals and supplying four assists.

Salia hasn’t quite worked out his best position at this nascent stage of his career, but that’s okay. He is fast and has the mark of a clinical player down the line, and in this, he could one day surpass Woltemade.

This is a bold claim to make, but the respective forwards are at wholly different points in their careers, and his “very high work-rate”, as has been said by Genk scout Mikha Gabechava, suggests he has the drive to match his talent with a tenacious approach.

Because, after all, the Georgia U21 star has been described as “one of the best teenage prospects in the world” by journalist Graeme Bailey, and this without yet proving himself in a top division. The hype is very much real.

The sales of prospects like Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson mark a cautionary tale for the Tynesiders as they look to go from strength to strength once again. Salia’s signature must be held onto, and he must be allowed to develop into a polished Premier League star.

With the right work over the coming years, he could even prove to be a bigger talent than Woltemade.

Newcastle star was set to be sold, now he's one of their "standout" players

This Newcastle star is still performing for Eddie Howe’s side.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 7, 2025

Carlo Ancelotti has lifted the lid on why his final season at Real Madrid unravelled despite Kylian Mbappe’s blockbuster arrival. Speaking from Brazil, the legendary coach detailed the defensive crisis that derailed Los Blancos’ campaign and forced tactical improvisation in key moments as the campaign ended without a major trophy.

• Why Ancelotti believes his final Madrid season collapsed

  Ancelotti’s Madrid era ended far differently from how he imagined. After winning La Liga and the Champions league in 2024 and seeing Mbappe join an already star-studded squad featuring Vinícius Junior and Jude Bellingham, expectations were sky-high. Instead, the season ended in disappointment as they finished four points behind Barcelona in La Liga and they crashed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, resulting in the Italian being replaced by Xabi Alonso.

  The veteran coach has now broken down what went wrong. Speaking to , he explained how an unprecedented defensive injury crisis forced Los Blancos out of their natural structure. With Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao sidelined with anterior cruciate ligament injuries and Antonio Rudiger playing through significant pain, Madrid lost the backbone that had powered their earlier success. Those problems triggered a domino effect across the pitch, reshaping rotations, shifting the midfield, and destabilising the rhythm of the team. Ancelotti says the collapse had far less to do with individuals leaving and far more to do with a team losing its defensive identity.

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  "We lost our entire starting defence" – Ancelotti breaks down the failure

  Ancelotti expanded on the real reasons behind Madrid’s drop-off, pointing directly to the defensive situation: “What happened was that we lost our entire starting defence. We lost Carvajal and Militao, and Rudiger played with a serious injury. Luckily, [Raul] Asensio came up from the youth academy and did very well. Let’s not forget that many times I had to play [Federico] Valverde at right-back and [Aurelian] Tchouameni at centre-back, which left the midfield with significant absences. We lost solidity at the back, and that cost us titles.”

  He pushed back on the idea that Toni Kroos’ departure destabilised the team, adding: “I don’t think it was because of Kroos, because we adapted to playing with [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Dani] Ceballos, Bellingham, Tchouameni, or Valverde. We have great midfielders, but finding another Kroos or [Luka] Modric is impossible.”

• Brazil beckoned after Madrid exit

  The 66-year-old ended up taking over as Brazil coach in the wake of his Madrid departure, an outcome he admits he never seriously imagined during his time in Spain.

  "Thinking about going to another club was difficult for me because of the legacy I had left here, which was huge," he said. "I found it hard to imagine myself at another club. But then Brazil called, and it became a great challenge, a great dream to prepare for a World Cup with the five-time champion team, the historic Selecao. Besides, being the national team coach is a different job. I really enjoy what I'm doing. I made the right decision.

  “At Real Madrid, I had brutal daily pressure… six press conferences a week. Brazil is also under pressure, but it’s a more relaxed job, more about observation than intervention. I don't have much time to train, but that was already the case at the clubs because of the demanding schedules. I try to learn every day about the current state of football in Brazil, the country's culture, everything. I live in Rio de Janeiro as much as possible. I really like the city. Now I'm not involved in the daily grind like before. There's time to observe calmly: the players, the structure of Brazilian football, with a very young Confederation president who wants to change things for the better. All of that is good."

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• Ancelotti aiming to get the best out of Vinicius

  The Brazil boss also discussed the challenge of helping Vinicius reproduce his Madrid form on the international stage, saying: "With the national team, he hasn't been able to reach the level he usually has at Real Madrid. But in these last few matches, he's improved and has done very well with Brazil, scoring goals and providing assists. Nobody can dispute his qualities. Vini is top-class."

  He also addressed Vini’s emotional outburst in El Clasico after being substituted by Alonso: "He simply made a mistake that day and needs to understand his new role at Real Madrid, a more important role in the dressing room than before. He made a mistake, he apologised, and he must learn from it. The coach has the right to make the changes he needs to improve the team."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has shared what’s impressed him most about teenager Andre Harriman-Annous after the Hale End graduate’s senior debut against Brighton on Wednesday.

The Gunners extended their unbeaten run to 11 in all competitions whilst booking a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after their victory over Brighton.

Goals from fellow youngster Ethan Nwaneri and star winger Bukayo Saka handed Arsenal a routine win at the Emirates Stadium, despite summer signing Kepa Arrizabalaga being forced into a string of early saves to deny the Seagulls, who threatened to break through first.

The headlines initially belonged to Max Dowman, after the 15-year-old became Arsenal’s youngest ever starter.

Dowman showed flashes of brilliance on the right-hand side in place of Saka and the injured Noni Madueke, who’s believed to be making “faster-than-expected” progress in his recovery from a knee injury.

However, once the teenager was hauled off Saka, and Harriman-Annouss replaced Declan Rice, attention turned towards the latest in a long queue of star-studded talents from the Hale End production line.

Harriman-Annous, who bagged 18 goals in 37 games for the Under-21s last season, has been a regular in first-team training at London Colney with Arteta taking note.

The England Under-18 international can feel hard done by that he didn’t mark his first senior appearance for the club with a goal too, having watched Jason Steele save his one-v-one effort before Saka dispatched the rebound.

Arteta shares what's impressed him about Harriman-Annous after Arsenal debut

It was a night to remember for Harriman-Annous, with Arteta explaining in a post-match press conference why he finally gave the youngster a chance to shine at N5.

Arsenal’s boss explains that Harriman-Annous has impressed him with a fierce mentality and work ethic behind-the-scenes, with the versatile centre-forward desperate to make an impact.

Arsenal supporters have plenty of reasons to feel excited about Harriman-Annous after his debut against Brighton.

Stepping onto the pitch in a high-stakes cup match is no small feat, and the teen showed glimpses of the potential that has impressed coaches throughout his development.

His composure and confidence stood out. He demonstrated good technical skills and an understanding of the game that belies his age. For a young player making his first senior appearance, showing such calmness under pressure is a promising sign of future growth.

Harriman-Annous made the bench against Liverpool in August, and if he continues to seize his opportunities like he did against Brighton, it’s only a matter of time before he makes his first Premier League outing.

Jurickson Profar is apparently pretty sneaky.

During the bottom of the first inning of Game 2 of the NLDS between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, Profar made a spectacular play. But he waited a bit to let everyone know just what he'd done.

With the Padres up 1-0 with one, Mookie Betts stepped to the plate and blasted the first pitch he saw from Yu Darvish down the left field line. It looked to be headed for the seats as Profar drifted back to the wall. He leaped into a crowd of Dodgers fans and … well, no one seemed to know what happened.

Profar stared at the fans and jumped up and down a few times as the FS1 camera operator flashed back to Betts, who was rounding the bases. Whoever was in charge of graphics for the network announced Betts had hit a home run. But he hadn't.

Despite making the catch, Profar milked things for a bit before revealing he'd robbed a home run. Video is below.

That's a heck of a play and he was going to enjoy every moment of it.

It’s always nice to see a player rebound from adversity. Ahead of England’s comfortable 3-0 win over Wales on Thursday evening, Manchester City’s John Stones said he considered retiring last season amid endless injury problems.

But the 30-year-old Stones has already started five matches across all competitions for the Citizens this term, and he cruised through the win at Wembley, albeit suffering but surviving a fitness scare.

Stones isn’t the only one of a City persuasion to be targeting renaissance at the more mature end of their career, though, with Jack Grealish starting to look like a £100m player once again.

Only, he’s doing it over on Merseyside, in an Everton shirt.

Why Man City loaned out Jack Grealish

Pep Guardiola broke the bank when signing Grealish from Aston Villa for a British record £100m fee. It was 2021. The Three Lions star was silky and stylish and all the rest, but he got lost somewhere within the Man City mechanics during his four years at the Etihad.

Still, the 30-year-old is a Citizen, shipped out on loan to Everton this summer. But Grealish has returned to his finest form so far this season, notching four assists in August to claim the Premier League Player of the Month and scoring the recent winner at the Hill Dickinson Stadium to end Crystal Palace’s 19-game unbeaten run.

Grealish, perhaps, is at his best when the leading figure in a team, the talisman. Under Pep’s wing, something went awry, and he toiled on the margins for his past two Premier League campaigns.

If the Sky Blues succeed in selling the £300k-per-week talent permanently next summer, they will not recoup anything near the figure once paid.

Across 157 outings for Man City, Grealish scored 17 times and supplied 23 assists for his teammates.

He was never a prolific player, per se, but there’s no doubt plenty was left to be desired, and Guardiola knew it, handing his record signing just 17 Premier League starts across his final two terms. During this period, he notched six goal contributions.

Grealish isn’t the only one who might have been ferried out this summer, though, with Pep and co maybe looking back at the opportunity to sell Bernardo Silva for a hefty figure with something akin to regret.

Pep should have sold Bernardo Silva

Silva, 31, is one of the definitive superstars of the Guardiola era at Manchester City. A six-time Premier League champion, his 419 appearances for the club place him ninth in the all-time charts.

But he’s beginning to dip. Even though the boss named him captain this summer, Silva has lost some of the magic that has so often been discernible throughout his career, and Fabrizio Romano has said only this week that the veteran “has chances to leave Man City” ahead of 2026.

It’s been a long and storied career for Silva at Manchester City, but Guardiola’s side are evolving, and habitually have the rumours of the Iberian talent’s potential departure emerged in recent years.

Last season was a struggle for everyone at the club, but Silva felt the upheaval and tumult more than most. His output was halved, and he was placed on the substitute’s bench seven times across the latter half of the top-flight term.

Altered in his role, Silva no longer produces goals and assists with the same regularity, and Sofascore record he is averaging just one chance per Premier League game this season, losing 70% of his duels so far.

He’s captained Man City six times across all competitions this season, and remains one of the most fleet-footed and intelligent players in the Premier League, even described as “one of the best players” Guardiola has ever seen.

But, aged 31, there’s a sense he’s into the autumn of his career in English football, and is not indispensable as he once was.

He’s still a tenacious and layered attacking midfielder, ranking among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe for pass completion, the top 10% for tackles and the top 7% for carries per 90, but the Portugal international could have fetched a pretty penny indeed for City in the past, with Transfermarkt recording the ace once bore a market value of €100m (£86m).

Silva is among only the top 54% for goals and assists combined, which isn’t enough for a City side looking for different attacking dimensions, easing the burden on Erling Haaland.

Saudi Arabian suitors presented themselves last year, got their bids at the ready. It came to nought, but since the Portuguese star has hinted this coming season could be his last as he stares at the culmination of his contract in Manchester, might there be a touch of ruefulness that a big sale could not have been engineered, and instead City must wave goodbye to one of their best on a free?

News is indeed growing over the possibility of Silva’s summer departure on a free, with Benfica and AC Milan considered among the frontrunners. This is a reality that Man City must accept. Perhaps they should have sold him last season, or the year before, but having signed him way back in 2017 for £43.5m, there are some who would suggest City have received bang for their buck.

Concerning the regret over not selling sooner to speed up the rebuild, the same logic might be attributed to Grealish, who languished on the side at Man City for two years before earning a move to Everton and resurrecting his career. Had City cashed in on either before they dipped and waned, a hefty figure may have been had.

He's a "cheat code": Man City sold bigger talent than O’Reilly for £300k

Man City might wish they’d kept hold of another academy star in recent years

By
Joe Nuttall

Oct 9, 2025