Sports
Arne Slot Under Pressure After Liverpool Spend Big
Liverpool icon Jason McAteer has exclusively told GIVEMESPORT that boss Arne Slot is under increasing pressure and that the summer spending spree could come back to bite the reigning Premier League champions as it has resulted in there being difficulty pinpointing the Anfield giants’ best starting line-up.
The Reds made Alexander Isak the most expensive acquisition in British history when he completed a £125million switch from domestic counterparts Newcastle United just before the deadline, while Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez were also among the big-money arrivals on Merseyside.
But Liverpool have fallen seven points adrift of table-topping Arsenal after a 3-2 loss to Brentford last weekend consigned Slot’s side to four consecutive Premier League defeats, leading to McAteer admitting that the hierarchy will be frustrated with how the start of the season has panned out.
Slot in a Race Against Time to Reignite Title Dreams
McAteer, who made more than 130 appearances for Liverpool during his playing career, believes that Slot needs to quickly find a solution and end the underwhelming run of results if he wants to ensure he is still in the Anfield hot-seat for the long-term instead of being dismissed by Fenway Sports Group.
Although the Reds registered a convincing victory over Eintracht Frankfurt last week, improving their hopes of progressing to the knockout phase of the Champions League, they suffered a defeat to Brentford a matter of days later and have given themselves a mountain to climb as they seek to defend their top flight crown.
The reverse at the Gtech Community Stadium came after they had also been beaten by arch-rivals Manchester United, Chelsea and Crystal Palace, while they were on the wrong side of a 1-0 scoreline when they faced Turkish heavyweights Galatasaray last month.
Liverpool cannot be ruled out of the battle to be crowned champions at this stage, but McAteer is adamant that Slot needs to quickly oversee an upturn in form and make his side more defensively solid after the vast majority of his summer budget was spent on attack-minded big-names.
The former Republic of Ireland international, speaking exclusively to GMS via the home of football betting, said: “Although Liverpool have lost a little bit of ground, they are not out of the race. Slot is under pressure now because I think his buffer has gone. The points gained from late winners bought him a bit of time and room for error. Unfortunately, he has eaten into that buffer in the last four Premier League games.
“The history of the Premier League over the last five years will tell you that you can’t lose more than six games. Otherwise, you’re out of the title race. But I think there is a bit more competition this season, with a few other teams taking points off the top six. I do think clubs will have a little bit more room for error this season than most, but he is under pressure not to lose too many more points. He has got to find a solution quickly.
“Fundamentally, four Premier League defeats in a row tells you that something is not right. Even if you want to go through all the stats and data, I think the results speak for themselves.”
“If you do want to look at the stats and data, two clean sheets in 13 games is not right for a start. The manner in which they are conceding goals is not right. The team is dysfunctional at the moment, so where do you start unpicking the problems?
“I think there’s no divine right to bring in £450million worth of signings, they hit the ground running, and you just run off into the sunset and win another title at a canter. History has told us that, at times, big signings can take a bit of time to settle in.”
Expensive Acquisitions Upset Balance of Reds’ Team
Liverpool added Isak, Wirtz, Ekitike, Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni and Freddie Woodman to their title-winning squad ahead of the summer transfer window slamming shut, while Giorgi Mamardashvili also made his long-awaited arrival after an agreement was initially reached with Valencia last year.
But McAteer feels that making such drastic changes may come back to haunt the Reds as the recruits are still forging relationships and adjusting to their new surroundings, while the importance of Trent Alexander-Arnold has been emphasised since his decision to leave his boyhood club for Real Madrid.
“Changing three or four players can upset the balance of the team,” conceded the 54-year-old. “It can upset the tactics of the team and how it functions. The manager has changed tactically and he lost players as well. You’ve got to take that into account. Trent Alexander-Arnold has slipped out the door and the impact of him leaving is being highlighted right now.
“I just think Liverpool are tactically changing things, even though it’s quite subtle. Arne Slot is trying to get the players he has bought into the team to settle, plus attempting to find the right balance that suits all 10 outfield players, but there are components within that team that are just not working.
“If you want to talk about individuals, I think Florian Wirtz is obviously struggling with confidence and struggling with the position he is being asked to play. I don’t think the manager really knows where his best position is at the moment. Certain players are still trying to forge relationships with each other, which can be crucial.”
McAteer also feels that Ekitike, who is testing himself in the Premier League for the first time in his career after making the summer switch from Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt, should be at the forefront of Slot’s plans and his performances warrant becoming one of the first names on the team sheet.
“I actually feel sorry for Ekitike,” added the ex-midfielder. “He has been Liverpool’s most productive player in front of goal. He came to Liverpool with an enormous transfer fee for his age and he hit the ground running. I think he has been the best signing that Liverpool made in the sense of performances and productivity. He has also been the player who has settled quickest.
“He has been really, really unlucky to be left out of the team at stages. Slot needs to be careful with him because his performances, for me, actually warrant the start. You don’t want to lose the player and Ekitike feeling like he is playing second fiddle to Isak. That’s where the manager needs to be brave. He has been brave with Wirtz.”
Isak Must Not be Seen as Automatic Starter at Anfield
McAteer has called on Slot to become more ruthless and, despite splashing the cash in order to welcome Isak to Liverpool, there is a feeling that the Dutch tactician should not be taking the Sweden international’s price tag into account when selecting his starting line-up.
“I don’t buy into the fact that because he cost £100-odd million that he should be nailed-on as a starter for Liverpool,” admitted the former Tranmere Rovers and Blackburn Rovers man. “When you look at Wirtz, he has probably not started three of the last five or six games. Why should Isak be any different?
“It’s very difficult comparing Jurgen Klopp to Arne Slot, because they’re two completely different characters. But one thing that Jurgen was good at was identifying when a player wasn’t in the best form or when a player wasn’t suited to a certain team. Although he predominantly didn’t change a great deal tactic-wise or even from his formation, he was a good judge of whether a player was suitable for the fixture.
“I think Arne Slot is struggling with his personnel and what’s best for each fixture. If you look at his team selection, I think he is very brave in what he is trying to do. In that sense, he’s not frightened of not playing Wirtz, and I don’t think he would be like that for Isak either.”
Although Isak proved to be a deadline day signing from Newcastle, following lengthy negotiations and the frontman’s decision to go on strike at St James’ Park, Liverpool were left frustrated when Crystal Palace pulled the plug on a deal which would have seen central defender Marc Guehi seal a switch at the eleventh-hour.
That has resulted in Slot having to be heavily reliant on captain Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, particularly after Leoni was ruled out for the rest of the season thanks to tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, while Joe Gomez has also been an option to come into the backline.
But McAteer thinks FA Cup-winning England international Guehi may have been higher on Liverpool’s list of transfer priorities before influential figures behind the scenes felt they needed to alter their focus when Isak was making it abundantly clear that he was desperate to embark on a fresh challenge on Merseyside.
He confirmed: “I’ve got my own take on the Guehi situation. This isn’t based on inside information, just my opinion. I think Liverpool had already gone too far down the line with the Isak deal. They brought in Ekitike as cover because, at one point, it looked like they might miss out on Isak.
“Once Isak began to push for the move – and he clearly knew about Liverpool’s interest – it created pressure on Newcastle. I don’t know the exact details, but it seemed that Isak forced the issue to the point where Liverpool felt they had to act. They’d invested too much time and effort to walk away. The money was ready, negotiations had progressed, and with Isak effectively distancing himself from Newcastle, Liverpool had to complete the deal.
“Because of that, I think the Guehi move was pushed aside. In my view, Guehi might originally have been the priority target, but once Isak’s transfer gathered momentum and reached that decisive stage, Liverpool had no choice but to finalise it. That decision naturally had a knock-on effect.”
All statistics courtesy of Sofascore – correct as of 28/10/2025
Sports
All Completed Tottenham Transfers in 2026/27
Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing Premier League campaign last season, and they have certainly been making moves during the summer transfer window. The Lily Whites endured another season at the bottom half of the Premier League, in a relegation fight until the final day, where newly appointed Roberto De Zerbi steered the squad to a 17th-place finish.
With De Zerbi only joining the side during the business-end of last season, it is clear he will want to make his own signings for his squad and build a strong Spurs side that can challenge in the top half of the Premier League table.
De Zerbi plays a very different brand of football compared to his predecessors, Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, and the Italian boss will have to make some tough decisions on incomings and outgoing transfers, with his squad needing players who are more suited to his fast, possession-based football.
New Tottenham Transfers 2026/27
|
Player |
Nationality |
Previous Club |
Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Jan Paul Van Hecke |
Netherlands |
Brighton |
£52 million |
|
Marcos Senesi |
Argentina |
Bournemouth |
Free |
|
Andy Robertson |
Scotland |
Liverpool |
Free |
|
Martin Dubravka |
Slovakia |
Burnley |
Free |
Spurs have confirmed four signings so far this transfer window, with only one player in Van Hecke, costing them a transfer fee. Van Hecke has close ties to De Zerbi from their time at Brighton, whilst Marcos Senesi has been a standout player for Bournemouth, and picking him up on a free is a big piece of business for Tottenham. Martin Dubravka provides a good backup option, whilst having the Premier League experience and ability of Andy Robertson will be another key addition to Spurs.
The North London side aren’t finished yet either, with reports claiming that Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is ready to join Spurs should both clubs manage to agree a fee. Mateus Fernandes is also a player of interest for Spurs, with the Portuguese midfielder looking to leave recently relegated West Ham, who are holding out for a fee of £85 million.
Spurs have also recently been linked with a bid for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, who enjoyed a loan spell at Barcelona last season.
Tottenham Departures 2026/27
|
Player |
Nationality |
New Club |
Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Alejo Veliz |
Argentina |
EC Bahia |
£8 million |
|
Yves Bissouma |
Mali |
Released |
N/A |
|
Randal Kolo Muani |
France |
End of Loan |
N/A |
|
Joao Palhinha |
Portugal |
End of Loan |
N/A |
There haven’t been many big transfer outgoings yet from White Hart Lane, with Alejo Veliz being the only player to leave the side so far for a transfer fee. The Argentine forward only featured eight times in Tottenham colours, scoring once. Yves Bissouma’s time at the club came to an end following the expiration of his contract, whilst Randal Kolo Muani and Joao Palhinha’s loan spells also finished.
Guglielmo Vicario is rumoured to be on his way out of the club, with Spurs set to back Antonin Kinsky with a new five-year deal at the club, with new signing Dubravka playing back up.
Lucas Bergvall has also been linked with a move away from Spurs, with the young talent rumoured with moves to Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, who will be looking for a replacement following Elliot Anderson’s £116 million move to Manchester City.
More Transfer News
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Sports
‘I Beat Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2022
A past opponent of tennis icon Serena Williams has spoken out on the American’s treatment towards her following a win over her at Wimbledon four years ago.
Williams is currently in the headlines and the topic of much discussion in the tennis landscape after recently announcing her return to the court after a four-year hiatus from the sport.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner returned to action at last month’s Queen’s Club Championships in the doubles event alongside young Canadian star Victoria Mboko.
The 44-year-old’s comeback was accelerated when she was announced to be playing in both the singles and doubles events at Wimbledon this year thanks to wildcards. The latter event will see her reunite with and play alongside her sister, Venus, once again.
Things did not turn out the way Williams would have hoped on her singles return to Wimbledon on Tuesday evening, however, as the unseeded Maya Joint got the better of her, claiming a memorable 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 triumph.
Following the loss, Williams shook the hand of her first-round Australian opponent before swiftly departing a packed out Centre Court. The American then decided to skip media conference duties after the match, instead opting to release a message to the press of her delight at competing at SW19 again.
In the moments after the contest concluded, French player Harmony Tan was quick to point out how she had been treated by Williams following their meeting at Wimbledon four years ago.
Harmony Tan Calls Out Serena Williams After Wimbledon Return
Tan was the last person to defeat Williams at the Grand Slam event in 2022 before the tennis great stepped away from the sport, inflicting an opening-round 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 loss on the American.
The French competitor, currently ranked 200 by the WTA in singles, posted a screenshot on her Instagram story of her attempting to find Williams’ official account on the social media platform.
🎾
Wimbledon History Quiz
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However, the image depicted Williams’ profile being unavailable to Tan, confirming that she had been blocked by the tennis icon.
Tan captioned her story, writing: “So, 4 years ago, after the handshake, she blocked me also on Instagram btw (by the way).”
The 28-year-old accompanied the message with both a stressed-out face and laughing emojis.
Williams’ actions are somewhat surprising, considering there is not thought to be any bad blood between the two players, only that they simply faced off against one another at Wimbledon in 2022.
Perhaps, the American did not want to be reminded of the last player to defeat her at Wimbledon during her period away from the court.
Tan is not featuring in this year’s main singles draw at Wimbledon after failing to get through the qualifying stages. She won her opening two games of the qualifiers against Mia Pohankova and Esther Adeshina, respectively. However, she then came up short against Tyra Caterina Grant, losing 6-4, 7-6 to the Italian.
Williams will be hoping for better luck in the doubles at Wimbledon, when she and her sister face the South American duo of Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio in Thursday’s opening round contest.
Sports
Did Ronaldinho Mean His Free Kick Goal vs England at the 2002 World Cup?
Few moments from the 2002 World Cup are more iconic and memorable than Ronaldinho‘s audacious free kick goal for Brazil against England in the quarter-final. And few are more divisive; did he really mean it or was it just a fluke?
Brazil went on to win the 2002 tournament, beating Germany in the final, and that formidable group, featuring Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Ronaldo, remain the last batch of Brazilians to lift the famous trophy. And, over two decades on, discussion continues to simmer among lovers of the game over whether ‘that Ronaldinho goal’ was intentional or not.
So, did Ronaldinho mean to score that day or was it simply a moment of outrageous good fortune? GIVEMESPORT takes a look back at one of the most talked-about moments in World Cup history.
Ronaldinho Goal vs England: What Happened?
|
Game: |
England 1-2 Brazil (World Cup 2002, Quarter-Final) |
|---|---|
|
Date: |
June 21, 2002 |
|
Venue: |
Stadium Ecopa, Fukuroi, Japan |
|
England Scorer(s): |
Michael Owen (23′) |
|
Brazil Scorer(s): |
Rivaldo (45+2′), Ronaldinho (50′) |
Having comfortably beaten Denmark 3-0 in the Round of 16, England advanced to the quarter-final stage, where Brazil lay in wait. The South Americans were heavy favourites to win the tournament and had beaten Belgium in the previous round, but England took the lead in the 23rd minute courtesy of Michael Owen.
However, the game would ultimately revolve around Ronaldinho and it was the gifted playmaker’s slaloming run and pass that allowed Rivaldo to score an equaliser on the stroke of half-time. Then, the defining moment of the match arrived just a matter of minutes after the restart, when Ronaldinho was carelessly fouled 40-odd yards out, wide on the right of England’s goal.
⚽
World Cup History Quiz
You scored
out of 20
Ronaldinho shrugged off the assault from the England midfielder and stood ominously over the ball as his compatriots flooded into the England box in anticipation of an inviting cross. He struck the ball hard with the inside of his right foot and it spun high into the area, momentarily wrong-footing Seaman before looping miraculously into the top left corner of the net.
Interestingly, it would not be Ronaldinho’s last contribution to the game, with the toothy Brazilian being sent off just seven minutes later following a testy tussle with Danny Mills.
WATCH: Ronaldinho’s Free Kick Goal vs England | All the Angles
Did Ronaldinho Mean To Lob David Seaman and Score?
England players who played that day were unanimous in their assessment that the goal was completely unintentional and fortuitous, with David Beckham calling it “a fluke” and Teddy Sheringham derisively describing it as “a mis-hit” in the immediate aftermath.
Danny Mills, meanwhile, argued that Ronaldinho’s apparent “sheepishness” when asked directly about it after the game by Rio Ferdinand was evidence that he had simply gotten lucky. “Rio [Ferdinand] asked Ronaldinho after the game if he meant to shoot and he just gave a shrug and grinned,” explained the disbelieving Mills.
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However, Ronaldinho himself has always been adamant that he meant to score his free kick against Seaman, defiantly insisting that “there was nothing lucky about it” and noting that he had even discussed the move with Brazil captain Cafu beforehand, after the defender had noticed the England goalkeeper’s positioning.
“It was definitely a shot,” Ronaldinho said in an interview with FIFA.com. “It was Cafu who advised me beforehand that there was a space and that Seaman was standing in a very advanced position in the penalty area. It seemed only natural to have a go, and there was nothing lucky about it.”
He added:
“When I hit the ball I wanted to shoot for goal – but maybe not exactly where the ball ended up. If I’m being totally honest, I was aiming for the other side of the net. I was aware of the keeper’s position and went for the shot at goal. The fact that it did not go in exactly as I planned is secondary to the fact that I was having a go.”
While he disputes any suggestion that the goal was a mistake on his part, Ronaldinho does concede that there was a stroke of good fortune involved because the ball bent in his favour.
“What basically happened is that I hit my shot too hard and, as it travelled through the air, it swerved more and ended up looping over Seaman. There was nothing he could do about it and I suppose there was an element of luck involved,” acknowledged the Brazilian. “But, a goal is a goal!”
In the years after the fact, Ronaldinho repeatedly reiterated his stance, with Sven-Goran Eriksson – England’s manager for the game – outlining that he had asked the Brazilian on a number of different occasions whether he really meant it. “I met him many times after the World Cup,” said Eriksson. “And every time I ask him, ‘tell me the truth – did you want to score?’ and he says, ‘yes, of course!'”
Over two decades later, Seaman remains incredulous at Ronaldinho’s explanation and he is broadly backed up on the matter by his team-mates, though it remains a sore point for the ex goalkeeper.
“Not a chance [did Ronaldinho mean to score]. I was told straight after the game that he didn’t mean it,” Seaman said in 2026, speaking on the GBF podcast. “Gilberto Silva was playing for Brazil at the time and he was [later] my team-mate at Arsenal – he told me. It just didn’t matter because I was in a world of pain.”
On the same podcast, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes – who was the player who fouled Ronaldinho to concede the free kick in question – echoed Seaman’s view that it was nothing more than a blunder that worked out in their opponent’s favour.
One former England star who is convinced that it was a moment of intended Ronaldinho genius is Gary Lineker, who said in a 2022 BBC podcast: “I’ve seen Ronaldinho play a lot and I don’t think he’s capable of missing a free kick by that far, so I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
💬 Did Ronaldinho mean that goal? Let us know in the comments! 👇
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