Inter Milan’s latest summer signing, John Stones, needed just minutes to make an impression on his new supporters.

A substitute appearance in a pre-season friendly rarely generates significant conversation, but this one certainly did. What happened in the closing stages turned a routine warm-up fixture into a talking point among the Nerazzurri faithful, who came away convinced they have a special talent that Manchester City were happy to let go.

The reaction that followed on social media went well beyond the usual pleasantries reserved for a new arrival’s first outing, hinting at genuine belief that the Englishman could be central to Inter’s plans for the season ahead.

John Stones Shows Quality in Real Betis Cameo

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

The Serie A champions introduced Stones in the 70th minute, and barely any time had passed since his introduction before he began to impress. He even got a goal when he moved into the penalty area to contest a free-kick delivered from the final third and lashed a half-volley into the net from 10 yards, a goal that proved to be the winner.

Beyond the goal, his composure on the ball stood out. He was a constant outlet for midfielders under pressure, repeatedly finding progressive passes through the lines during his short time on the pitch.

Watch John Stones’ goal and highlights vs Betis below:

Inter Milan Fans excited by John Stones’ Addition

Pairing Stones with Alessandro Bastoni and his former Manchester City teammate Manuel Akanji gives Inter a defensive trio with genuine ball-playing quality. Add the consistency of Federico Dimarco and the imminent arrival of Djed Spence, who impressed at the 2026 World Cup for England, and Inter’s back line could become one of the most technically gifted and well-rounded in Europe.

Supporters on X were full of praise for Stones. One fan wrote: “Stones arrived six days ago. Maybe five training sessions. He steps in, three minutes to read his teammates’ movements and starts finding them between the lines. He climbs minute after minute in progression, taking control of everything. Unique player. It’s even reductive to call him a defender.”

Another pointed to the quality across the back line, posting: “Having 3 amazing ball-playing CBs is actually insane. Stones’ small cameo was nothing short of perfect & him, Pavard & Akanji were looking like CMs out there.

Others were more succinct. “You can just tell Stones is class,” read one response, while another declared: “John Stones’ debut for Inter; comes on, scores the winner and has a 10/10 debut. It’s just what he does, isn’t it?”

A further fan summed up the mood: “Yeah, Stones isn’t here to warm the bench. This guy is 100% a starter.”

Italian media outlet Gazzetta dello Sport handed the debutant a 7/10 rating for his short cameo. Praising his well-taken goal, they wrote: “The timing and punctuality are English—a goal on his debut, without wasting a second—but what’s most striking is the coordination of a seasoned striker.”

West Ham United are reportedly closing in on the signing of Leeds United striker Joel Piroe and seemingly pulled the plug on a deal for Troy Parrott.

A new center-forward is a priority for Nuno Espírito Santo, and Parrott has been a top target. The club failed with an opening bid for the AZ Alkmaar frontman but were said to be ‘confident’ as they prepared to make a second offer for the Irishman.

In a shock twist, the East London outfit may have pivoted as they are now advancing in talks for Piroe. It seems unlikely that two new forwards will arrive before the transfer window closes, given that Santo already has Valentin Castellanos leading the line.

West Ham Turn To Piroe as Parrott Deal Stalls

West Ham have turned to Leeds United’s Joel Piroe to add more firepower to Santo’s frontline and Dutch journalist Joost Blaauwhof reports that a deal is in its final stages. The Surinamese striker has fallen down Daniel Farke’s pecking order and has been expected to leave Elland Road this summer.

Blaauwhof of Voetbal International wrote on X:

Piroe could be on his way back to the EFL Championship, having previously played in the second tier of English football with Leeds and Swansea City. He enjoyed his time in the division, scoring 73 goals in 179 games for the Peacocks and the Swans.

Following Leeds’ promotion and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s arrival, the 27-year-old has lacked regular game time, starting just two of 16 Premier League games last season. He will be eager to get back to playing football and could rival Castellanos for a starting berth in Santo’s attack.

West Ham reportedly offered £15 million for Piroe but were told the fee to sign the player is £20 million. This is said to have left the Hammers feeling ‘short-changed’ as the asking price had previously been set at £16m.

Sky Sports, meanwhile, claims that the Irons are keen on a loan deal with an obligation to buy, but the Whites prefer a permanent sale. They could be satisfied with the loan proposal, given that they will then sell Piroe next summer.

Piroe has two years left on his contract, having joined Leeds from Swansea back in the summer of 2023 for just over £10m. While Farke rarely turned to him last season, he spoke glowingly back in October:

If Piroe does arrive at the London Stadium, he’ll become the club’s fifth summer signing. Santo’s squad has been strengthened with the arrivals of Arne Engels, Manor Solomon, Beaver Lamadrid and Joel Veltman.

West Ham Making Wise Decision

West Ham seemed eager to sign Parrott but AZ’s asking price may well have put them off. The Irish striker was in terrific form last season, finding the back of the net 31 times in 48 games across competitions.

Piroe looks to be the Hammers’ alternative, and there’s certainly a lot to like about the six-foot-one-inch, especially his Championship experience. While he didn’t quite get the opportunity to prove his worth in the Premier League, he could prove to be an excellent addition to Santo’s squad.

With Castellanos staying put, spending heavily on Parrott may have been the wrong move. A loan with an obligation to buy for Piroe helps financially and allows Santo to choose between Castellanos and Piroe to lead the line, or even play both as a front two.

Manchester United will be looking to get more business done before the summer transfer window closes in two weeks’ time.

Under new permanent head coach Michael Carrick, the Red Devils have signed three players, with their main priority at the beginning of the window to add two new central midfielders fulfilled.

After looking like they were going to be priced out of the market for their top targets, with Elliot Anderson making the move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City for £116million and Mateus Fernandes moving from West Ham to Tottenham for £85million, United eventually got deals over the line for Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.

They also brought goalkeeper Karl Darlow in on a free transfer from Leeds United.

Luke Shaw enjoyed a monopoly of starts at Manchester United

The new Premier League season is less than a week away from getting underway now and getting any more new signings in in time for the big kick-off looks unlikely.

After bringing in two midfielders, the next priority for United appeared to be a left-back, and that need was laid bare by United’s former manager Ruben Amorim on Saturday.

Amorim was sacked by the United hierarchy in January, to be replaced by Carrick, initially on an interim basis. And the Englishman turned United’s fortunes around, guiding the club back to the UEFA Champions League, finishing third in the Premier League and ending the season with the best record in the calendar year of 2026 so far.

The left-back at Old Trafford under both Amorim and Carrick was Luke Shaw, with the Englishman starting every single Premier League match in 2025/26. The problem is he does not have much competition for his spot in the team.

Left-backs linked with United

Lewis Hall, Newcastle

David Raum, RB Leipzig

Archie Brown, Fenerbahce

Neco Williams, Nottingham Forest

United have been linked with a big-money move to sign Lewis Hall this summer, although, having lost Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle are reluctant to sanction any more departures.

United were briefly offered the chance to sign Myles Lewis-Skelly from Arsenal, but that move looks dead in the water too.

United’s need for a left-back was highlighted by Amorim though as his AC Milan side beat his former players 4-2 in a pre-season friendly in Poland.

Shaw has not covered himself in glory during pre-season

Shaw was once again the left-back of choice for Carrick, but he struggled to impart his game on the Italian side.

In the Manchester Evening News’ player ratings, Shaw was handed a four out of ten – the worst performer on the day – with the publication saying:

Shaw got one mark higher in the Sun’s ratings. “Was left hopelessly outnumbered at the back post for Milan’s first goal, and there were some occasions in the second half that Heaven and Santos had to fill in to cover for him. Other than that, he failed to make an impact,” they said.

A move for United to sign Hall has been described as “very, very unlikely” by MEN reporter Tyrone Marshall, but the rumours with any other left-backs have dried up somewhat.

The likes of David Raum, Archie Brown and Neco Williams have all been linked, but United will go into the start of the 2026/27 campaign with Shaw as their starting option once more and that could be a big mistake if pre-season is anything to go by.