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Nov 14, 2025, 04:42 AM ET
West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá has revealed he expressed his desire to return to Flamengo last summer, adding that he will return to the club one day.
The Brazil international admitted his former club had already approached him in May 2024 after the English Football Association had charged him with four counts of spot-fixing after a 10-month investigation.
Flamengo tried to sign Paquetá again this summer after he was cleared of misconduct charges.
“The second moment [that he had talks with Flamengo], incredibly enough, was when I already knew I could continue playing normally,” Paquetá told Globoesporte.
Lucas Paquetá said he will one day return to his former club Flamengo. Dan Istitene/Getty Images
“That’s when I felt even more of a desire to return to Flamengo. Maybe I shouldn’t even be saying this, but I had some conversations with [Flamengo coach] Filipe [LuÃs], who is a friend, in addition to the work he’s doing at Flamengo. I really expressed my desire to return and also showed it to my agents.”
Paquetá, who is in his fourth season at West Ham, said he will return to Flamengo one day but not in the near future.
His contract with West Ham expires in June 2027.
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“It was a difficult decision because I’m 28 years old, I’m very young, and I still have a lot of market value out here,” he said.
“I’ve been doing my job well, but it was a very strong desire. I tried very hard, but unfortunately, once again, I decided to respect my club, not to force anything, because it’s a club that supported me, that I have enormous affection for.
“I understood that it wasn’t the right time, but I know the doors will always be open for me. I know that at some point this return will happen.”
Paquetá, who left Flamengo in January 2019 to join AC Milan, is training with Brazil in London ahead of Saturday’s international friendly against Senegal at the Emirates Stadium.
When Dirk Nowitzki speaks about the Dallas Mavericks, his voice is heard. The franchise legend and Hall of Famer had a lot to say Friday night at the desk of “NBA on Prime” after he was asked about the firing of much-maligned Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison.
Nowitzki went on for more than two minutes, calling out Harrison’s shocking trade of Luka DonÄić, which Nowitzki said “made no sense” and “definitely set the franchise back” while also explaining how the timing of Harrison’s dismissal is unfortunate because of “this black cloud” that now hovers over the Mavericks at the beginning of 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg’s NBA career.
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“This move should have probably happened this summer, honestly,” said Nowitzki, who won a championship and NBA Finals MVP with the Mavericks in 2011.
“I didn’t want this negative energy and this black cloud over the Cooper Flagg era, but here we are now.”
At the time of Harrison’s head-scratching February deal that sent a then-25-year-old DonÄić to the Los Angeles Lakers, Nowitzki was working for the Mavericks in an ambassador and advisor capacity. Even so, Nowitzki accepted an invitation from DonÄić, his former teammate and fellow international icon, to attend the five-time All-NBA first teamer’s first game in Los Angeles.
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While DonÄić started a new chapter in purple and gold, the Mavs were more blue than ever. Harrison’s crown jewel of the trade, 10-time All-Star big man Anthony Davis, immediately suffered an adductor strain related to the abdominal injury he hurried back from, costing him six weeks right from the jump. Then nine-time All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving tore an ACL. The injury-riddled Mavericks made the play-in tournament but not the playoffs, and the resentment toward Harrison only grew.
[Get more Mavericks news: Dallas team feed]
Nowitzki said Friday he wasn’t surprised Dallas didn’t “just get over it.”
“I just knew,” he said. “I figured this fan base is a passionate and loyal fan base. I was lucky enough to experience it for 21 years. … They’re extremely passionate.”
Nowitzki continued: “And this trade just made no sense. It made no sense to [the fans]. And, really, there was no explanation for it, either. You go to the [NBA] Finals the year before. You gave up all these assets to build, really, the team around Luka with some 6-9 wings that all can switch and guard. You had two lob threats with [Daniel] Gafford and [Dereck] Lively, and the team was built around [Luka]. You added Klay [Thompson when] the shooting was a little bit of an issue in the Finals against Boston. So you did all this. … Going into [the] Christmas Day game, they were 14-3 out of the last 17 games, so they’re just starting to hit their stride, and then Luka gets hurt. And unfortunately that’s the last game he’s ever played in a Mavs uniform.
“It was very sad. It was very sad how that ended, and it felt like … the fans feel like they got robbed of actually seeing the end, seeing this through, seeing Luka develop into hopefully a champion one day. And it feels like they never got to see the end to this. So this was very heartbreaking.”
Right up until Harrison was fired Tuesday, “Fire Nico!” chants echoed throughout the American Airlines Center at Mavericks home games.
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Head coach Jason Kidd said before Wednesday’s game, the now-3-9 Mavs’ first at home since Harrison was canned, that those chants made his players feel “really disrespected.”
Kidd acknowledged the fans’ healing process yet emphasized it was time to turn the page. Nowitzki agrees.
“Now I think it’s time to move on,” he said Friday on “NBA on Prime.”
“It’s time to move on now, focus on this team, on this franchise. This definitely set the franchise back. But now it’s about building it back up, and obviously this team is struggling a bit. It needs the support, all it can get. So hopefully we can have a good year here from now on and cheer the team up.”
Danielle Moinet (formerly known as Summer Rae) says she gets the itch to return to WWE all the time.
During a recent interview with Talk Sport, Moinet talked about how her background with WWE helps in her new role as an interviewer and working on the social media team for Bare Knuckle Boxing.
Moinet responded:
“My role with the company, I do backstage interviews, in-ring interviews. I do a lot of social media for them and it works out coming with my WWE background and background in combat sports. My fans love it and itâ€s been fun getting to know the game.”
Moinet says WWE will always be a part of her:
“Iâ€m still very good friends with a lot of the girls and a lot of the guys in WWE, and I still watch it avidly. Iâ€m such a big fan, and itâ€s just a part of me, it always will be. And you know, I get the itch to go back all the time.”
Moinet was asked about who she enjoyed working with in WWE. She mentioned Saraya, formerly known as Paige, Natalya, Mercedes Mone, and several others.
“Loved working with Natalya. Of course, we had a big rivalry with Total Divas and though she is Bret Hartâ€s niece, she says to this day, people talk about me and the slap heard around the world. So, thatâ€s fun. Iâ€m still friends with Sasha, Mercedes, sheâ€s been killing it. Naomi, of course. You know, the list goes on. I love The Big Show. The Big Show is just amazing. He took me under his wing when I first started.”
Moinet was with WWE from 2011 to 2017. She worked as Fandango’s valet and dance partner, and was also involved in a memorable romance angle with Rusev, Lana, and Dolph Ziggler. She returned to WWE briefly in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble, where she was eliminated by Natalya in under a minute. Prior to signing with WWE, Moinet played for the Chicago Bliss of the Lingerie Football League from 2008 to 2011, making the All-Star team in her final year.
Some speculation about a return to wrestling for Moinet took place last month after she posted the below cryptic Tweet:
Think itâ€s time to come home………
— Summer Rae (@DanielleMoinet) September 16, 2025
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Summer Sorrell is opening up regarding her release from WWE.
The now ex-NXT talent wrote about her departure on social media on Monday, sharing that she had developed a passion for the business and loved what she was doing prior to her release on Friday.
“It is hard to find the right words to express what wrestling means to me. I have developed a passion and love for this business that is unlike anything I have felt before,†she wrote. “I have loved every second. From long, stressful days filming, to challenging days in the ring, to many hours of rehab. Not a moment went by where I didnâ€t feel like the luckiest girl in the world.â€
She also said she had an “ongoing injury†during her time with the company that kept her from being able to show what she could do in the ring.
“The reality is that I struggled with the same ongoing injury during a majority of my time at the performance center. This held me back from ever being able to show my true potential in the ring,†she said. “Knowing that I only got the opportunity to show you a small fraction of what I am capable of is what is hurting me the most.â€
It was announced on Friday that WWE had released multiple talents including Sorrell. She only started wrestling earlier this year, losing to Wendy Choo on an episode of WWE Evolve. She also competed on WWE LFG, with her last match airing on September 7 losing to Bayley Humphrey.
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Oct 8, 2025, 05:16 AM ET
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Orlando City wanted to bring Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison to Major League Soccer in the summer, sources told ESPN Brasil, although a move failed to materialise over a potential €40 million ($46.4m) transfer fee.
The MLS club wanted to sign the Brazil international to a long-term contract and make him the team’s leading figure in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup.
Orlando City were interested in signing Richarlison Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
Richarlison, 28, insisted in the last transfer window that he was keen to continue at Spurs for at least another season. He confirmed that he had turned down an offer from a Saudi Pro League club in August as he felt a move away from London could impact his chances of playing for Brazil at the World Cup.
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Richarlison is in his fourth season with the North London outfit, whom he joined in the summer of 2022 from Everton for a deal worth £60m ($80.4m).
Under contract with Spurs until June 2027, Richarlison has scored three goals and has one assist in seven Premier League appearances this season.
He is with Brazil’s squad preparing for the upcoming international friendlies against South Korea and Japan.
One former Arsenal player has made the claim that manager Mikel Arteta did not want him to leave the club.
Arsenal spent big across the summer window by bringing in the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze, amongst others, with Arteta thrashing out the size of his squad.
But as most will know, getting new faces in requires the need to get others out, with the 23-year-old in question leaving late in the window and previously explaining how he only learnt of his exit via social media.
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Arsenal player says Mikel Arteta DID NOT want him to leave
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reshuffled his squad heavily this summer (Image credit: Getty Images)
The Gunners’ backline has been set in stone for the most part across the last 12-18 months.
Arsenal players Christian Norgaard and William Saliba (Image credit: Getty Images)
“I laughed at those stories because it was exactly the opposite,” said Jakub Kiwior when speaking to TVP Sport about how some had reported how Arsenal wanted to keep him.
“The club didn’t want to let me go and it took a long time for them to agree to the transfer. I was valued there; no one wanted to get rid of me. Arteta didn’t want me to leave for Portugal either, so I never felt unwanted. The decision to leave was entirely mine. I wanted to play, but with Gabriel and Saliba ahead of me, the chances were small.”
“I convinced him myself,” added Kiwior as he detailed conversations with Arteta. “I went to talk to him and explained how I saw everything. He understood my ambitions and my desire to play, and he thanked me for how I behaved as both a person and a player.”
“He accepted my reasoning, spoke with the sporting director, and things moved quickly after that,” the defender added. “It was FC Porto who convinced me. At one point, they were calling every day. They fought hard and never gave up, even after several rejections from Arsenal.
“They showed how much they cared, so I decided to bet on them. I had many offers, but when I saw Jan Bednarek had joined, I told myself: if it works out, it will be great, and it really is.”
Jakub Kiwior in action for FC Porto (Image credit: Getty Images)
FourFourTwo notes that Kiwior was right in understanding that breaking up Saliba and Gabriel’s partnership was going to be tough, and at 25, playing regular first-team football remains a priority.
Given he is only on loan with Porto, there is still a chance he could have a career at the Emirates, should he impress in Portugal this season.
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Michael C. WrightOct 8, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
- Joined ESPN in 2010
- Previously covered Bears for ESPN.com
- Played college football at West Texas A&M
INSIDE A QUIETgym located on a sprawling 400-acre ranch in Katy, Texas, some 30 miles due east of Houston, Victor Wembanyama backed down new San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Rashard Lewis near the basket.
The 21-year-old pupil was there to attend one of the most secretive, legendary big man camps in basketball — one whose teacher has quietly mentored Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Dwight Howard and many others. Even Kobe Bryant spent time on this most hallowed of grounds.
Other Spurs assistants, Matt Nielsen and Sean Sweeney, looked toward the court, where the future of NBA big men was learning from one of the icons of its past.
The court, painted in Houston Rockets red, was emblazoned with a No. 34 at the center of it. Above it was his famed nickname in cursive.
Dream.
Wembanyama met the 62-year-old Hakeem Olajuwon in April at the NCAA men’s college national championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio. They sat courtside.
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“He said he would love to work out with me,” Olajuwon, whose Hall of Fame NBA career included two championships, 12 All-Star appearances and an MVP award, told ESPN. “I said, ‘You’ve got everything already.’ He said, ‘No, no, no. I’ve watched you play, and I’d like to know now just the secrets behind all the moves. I would love that.'”
And so began a relationship that would cap a summer of transformation for Wembanyama.
Six months earlier, he had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, a condition both career- and life-threatening.
The ordeal, one source close to him says, deeply affected the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year, so much so that it inspired “a journey to push himself to be great physically and mentally with things that were outside the box.”
He played soccer in Costa Rica and Tokyo. He famously spent 10 days at a spiritual retreat at a Shaolin temple in Zhenzhou, China, where he studied and trained with monks.
He hosted a chess and basketball tournament at his court in Le Chesnay, France. He visited NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where he learned about astronaut Peggy Whitson, who owns the American record for spending 675 days in space.
He spent time with another iconic big man, Kevin Garnett, seeking to tighten his grip on the mental side of the game.
“The traumatic experience … is very much linked to all the stuff I’ve done in the summer,” Wembanyama said. “Spending so much time in hospitals, around doctors and hearing more bad news that I wish I hadn’t heard, of course, it is traumatic. But in the long run I think it’s going to be very beneficial because even though I don’t wish it on [anybody], it makes you understand lessons that nothing else could have made you understand.”
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson says he’s never witnessed such perspective, or curiosity, from such a young player.
“He is so intentional in the variety of ways that he tries to improve as a player and person,” Johnson said. “It’s constantly trying to push himself out of his comfort zone and learn new things. Sometimes, the levels he goes [to] and the things he thinks about that may be a small nuance, but he feels like if I can add this to my world being, mindset, [or] whatever it may be, it can help.”
Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama spent 10 days at a Shaolin temple in Zhenzhou, China, where he studied and trained with monks. He wanted to put his mind and body under unusual stress, increase his range of motion and add strength, flexibility and balance. wemby/Instagram
BEFORE CAPTIVATING SOCIAL media in July with a failed bicycle kick in Costa Rica, in addition to smashing a looping free kick on the pitch in Tokyo, Wembanyama traveled to a historic Shaolin temple, one that was founded in the 5th century.
When Wembanyama informed Spurs brass of his intentions, everyone was on board, one team source told ESPN, remaining true to the club’s commitment to encourage the growth of its franchise player.
“The creativity is something that’s been there from Day 1,” Johnson said. “We want this team to be in the reflection of Victor. He’s our best player. He’s our guy.”
For 10 days, Wembanyama woke up at 4:30 a.m., ate vegetarian breakfast bowls of zucchini and rice noodles and immersed himself in Chan meditation, a school of thought that emphasizes direct experience over intellectual learning. He studied Shaolin Kung Fu. He shaved his head.
He wanted to go, he said, to put his mind and body under unusual stress, to increase his range of motion, to add strength, flexibility and balance through different exercises.
“It was an incredible experience,” he said. “Probably as far [off] a physical activity as I’m used to doing. It really paid off in terms of training and as a life experience as a curious person.”
People who have seen Wembanyama on the floor this summer say he’s stronger, more under control playing through physicality and increasingly comfortable with his unprecedented skill set.
“We know the type of talent he is,” teammate De’Aaron Fox said. “I think people are learning the type of person that he is, as well. … Him just looking at life differently, being able to travel and kind of come out with a different view on not only the sport, but on life, that’s just a testament to the person that Victor is. I don’t think it surprises anybody in this building.”
During his stay, Wembanyama woke up at 4:30 a.m. every day. He practiced Chan meditation, a school of thought that emphasizes direct experience over intellectual learning, as well as Shaolin Kung Fu. wemby/Instagram
IT WAS EARLY September, and the 100-degree temperatures were finally subsiding in Texas. The start of training camp approached, heightening the excitement among a San Antonio fan base that hasn’t seen its team reach the postseason in six seasons.
Wembanyama and his teammates attended a Paris Saint-Germain game in January when the Spurs played the Indiana Pacers in France. While there, Johnson caught his first glimpse of the PSG ultras, a rowdy group of passionate fans that create a formidable atmosphere in the 47,929-capacity Parc de Princes stadium through monstrous banners, booming chants and even the use of flares and pyrotechnics.
Wembanyama revealed to Johnson then that he wanted to create a similar setting at Frost Bank Center.
So, on a cool Sept. 14 morning, fans traipsed into the Freeman Expo Hall adjacent to Frost Bank, loud and proud, screaming “Go Spurs Go!” Most sported Spurs gear, wigs, fiesta-themed clothing and face paint. Some even dressed as pirates to register for the first fan supporter tryouts with Wembanyama serving as the lone judge.
Wembanyama leaned forward on a Spurs-themed chair resembling a replica of the ice block throne that George “Iceman” Gervin made famous in his iconic Nike poster back in 1978. Behind a curtain sectioned off just feet away from Wembanyama, nervous fans — many meeting for the first time — rehearsed the impromptu chants they would scream together minutes later.
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“Wem-V-P!” was the prevailing chant, drawing smiles from Wembanyama, who had pledged to cover the cost of tickets all season for the five most memorable fans. Intently, he scribbled notes in a black Spurs notepad on every auditioner and listened to their stories. He asked their names, level of dedication to the cause and even some personal questions before posing for pics as each exited. Some fans beat on a Spurs drum stationed in the back of the room once their turn to audition came.
Wembanyama hit the drum, too, and led a chant.
San Antonio general manager Brian Wright stood in the background near a curtain close to the exit next to CEO RC Buford taking in the scene. Arms folded, they watched carefully, almost in awe of how Wembanyama appreciatively embraced each second of dozens of interactions all morning with a fan base that treated those brief intros as moments forever seared into their hearts.
Just four days prior, Wembanyama had led the Spurs onto the court at Tom Moore High School in Ingram, Texas, where a massive flood in July had left at least 136 people dead in a region that included communities in Ingram, Kerrville, Center Point, Mason and Hunt.
Wembanyama emerged from the back of the gym, tossing black Spurs T-shirts into the crowd and clapping while the sounds of shrieking students pierced the stuffy afternoon air. Wembanyama slapped hands with one young boy in the front row. The rest of the team took center court behind the Frenchman for a light workout consisting of layups, three-man weave drills, a half-court shot competition and dozens of thunderous dunks, some coming on ridiculous lobs thrown off the wall behind the baskets.
Wembanyama tossed a self alley-oop and caught the ball midair, taking it through his legs for a jam drawing delighted cheers.
Now, all that’s left for Wembanyama is to return to the court.
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Wemby works out with Olajuwon in offseason workout
Victor Wembanyama hits the gym with NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon in the offseason.
BACK INSIDE OLAJUWON’S gym, the Rockets icon asked Wembanyama what he wanted to accomplish, a question more existential than cliché after this summer of international experience.
“He basically wanted to know how to leverage. Let’s leverage any opportunities you have, inside, outside, with opportunities in different situations without wasting energy,” Olajuwon told ESPN. “I know how skilled he is. So, our concept was not for ‘big men.’ Our concept was ‘big guards.’ You don’t want to dribble like a big man. We are big guards where you can play 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 with the freedom to create outside, inside, crossover and pull up without wasting any energy with any player because you have the advantage every night on everybody.”
Through four 2½-hour workouts in early September, Wembanyama developed his own variation of the Hall of Famer’s “Dream Shake” in addition to other tightly-wound spin moves that might leave opponents dizzy this upcoming season.
Then, there’s the jump hook Wemby is keeping under wraps.
“Yeah, that’s part of his moves,” Olajuwon said. “You know how well he can shoot, right? Can you imagine putting in the moves with him finishing his shots? If somebody like him can jump hook, you’re at his mercy. You can’t get to it. You can’t get to his jump shot or jump hooks. “
Teammate Jeremy Sochan says he’s already witnessed the evolution.
“You see how hard he works and how motivated he is,” Sochan said. “He’s super exciting to see and he’s ready. I think you guys are going to see a lot that’s going to shock you.”
Wembanyama, for his part, credits his most unusual offseason.
“I can assure you nobody has trained like I did this summer,” he said. “I think I’ve maxed out what I could do in one summer. Now, I need to play basketball.”
Manchester United are already putting plans in place for next summer’s transfer window.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Napoli are expected to pursue a permanent deal for striker Rasmus Hojlund in 2026, after the United loanee’s promising start to life with the Serie A champions.
And there could be more outgoings to come as the Red Devils attempt to revamp their squad during another period of upheaval.
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Andre Onana could be set for permanent exit from Manchester United
Andre Onana could make a permanent switch to Trabzonspor (Image credit: Getty Images)
According to the Sun, Trabzonspor are interested in making goalkeeper Andre Onana’s loan move a permanent one next summer, despite the lack of an option or obligation to buy in the loan deal.
Head coach Fatih Tekke has reportedly been impressed by Onana’s leadership qualities, though he has only kept one clean sheet in four Turkish Super Lig appearances so far.
Andre Onana has made a positive start at Trabzonspor (Image credit: Getty Images)
Trabzonspor are said to be paying Onana more than his £120,000-per-week salary at United, which means personal terms over a permanent move will not be a sticking point.
United’s asking price could be the primary issue, but it remains to be seen if they will look to recoup a significant percentage of the £47 million they paid to sign the goalkeeper from Inter in 2023.
Onana ended last season as United’s first-choice goalkeeper but picked up an injury in pre-season and was relegated to second choice, behind Altay Bayındır.
A less-than-impressive display from the Cameroon international in United’s League Cup embarrassment at Grimsby Town in August led to more criticism.
That could turn out to be his final performance in a United shirt.
Andre Onana struggled for consistency at Manchester United (Image credit: Alamy)
That was reportedly enough to convince United that a new goalkeeper was needed, and they moved to sign Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens, who made a strong debut against Sunderland last weekend.
Onana, meanwhile, was told he could benefit from a year away from the club, but it appears his time could be up at United regardless of performances between now and the end of the season.
“Of course, yes [he considered whether to ask out of Milwaukee]. Guys, every summer thereâ€s truth to every report. The same thing Iâ€ve been saying my whole career — I want to be on a team that allows me, gives me a chance to win a championship and wants to compete at a high level. I think itâ€s a disservice to basketball, itâ€s a disservice just to the game to not want to compete at a high level, to not want your season to end in April. So, itâ€s pretty much the same. Itâ€s not the first time.â€
This summer may not have been the first time Giannis Antetokounmpo considered his future and asking for a trade — as he said at media day — but it may have been the most serious.
Antetokounmpo is now with the Bucks, having recovered from COVID, flown to Milwaukee from Greece, and joined his teammates at training camp. He may be all in with this team to open the season, but this summer he considered a move to New York, and the Bucks and Knicks had conversations about a potential Antetokounmpo trade, talks that never really gained traction, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
Several teams were discussed internally, but one emerged as the only place Antetokounmpo wanted to play outside of Milwaukee: the New York Knicks, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN.
The Bucks picked up the Knicks†call on Antetokounmpo, and the sides engaged in conversations for a window of time in August, league sources said, but the teams never got traction on a deal.
The Bucks insisted to the Knicks that they preferred not to move Antetokounmpo, but those in Milwaukee believe New York did not make a strong enough offer to continue even discussing a trade, league sources said. Itâ€s unclear how the Bucks would have responded to an all-out chase by the Knicks … New York, for its part, believes the Bucks never were serious about entertaining an Antetokounmpo trade, sources said.
Letâ€s be clear, the Milwaukee Bucks do not want to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo and will only do so if he demands it. He is the greatest player in franchise history (with all due respect to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Heâ€s the player who not only makes them a threat on the court but fills the building with fans and has sponsors wanting to do business with the Bucks. Antetokounmpo is both the face and the driving economic engine of this franchise. Milwaukee wants to keep him badly enough to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard (leaving $22.5 million in dead money on the books for each of the next five years) to free up the money to sign stretch five Myles Turner away from Indiana.
If ever forced to trade him, Milwaukee will ask for a boatload of players — ideally quality young players, plus veteran contracts they can flip in a trade — and a lot of draft picks, all of it to jump-start the inevitable rebuild. New York is not flush with young players and has only one first-round pick, plus a couple of swaps, to offer. This trade works on paper a couple of different ways — OG Anunoby and Josh Hart plus that first-round pick to Milwaukee, or Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride plus the pick (the Bucks would need to waive some players to make the roster numbers work in either deal) — but is either of those enough for Milwaukee? Itâ€s unknown if the Knicks ever got close to that offer or what was informally discussed.
New York is in the mix to win the East this season without Antetokounmpo, it is not desperate to make this trade. Itâ€s also fair to ask how Antetokounmpo and Jalen Brunson would work together (both are All-NBA players because of what they do with the ball in their hands, neither is as special working off the ball). The feeling in league circles has been that if Antetokounmpo became available the Knicks would be at the front of the line in terms of interest, but would they have an offer that interests the Bucks right now? As great as Antetokounmpo is, would the Knicks break up their best team in decades to chase him that hard?
If Antetokounmpo does get frustrated in Milwaukee this season, trading his $54.1 million salary at the deadline would be incredibly difficult in the tax apron era of the NBA. Itâ€s likely more of an offseason move.
Just add this to the list of things to watch.
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Ryan O’HanlonSep 30, 2025, 07:44 AM ET
- Ryan O’Hanlon is a staff writer for ESPN.com. He’s also the author of “Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game’s Analytics Revolution.”
Not every great signing hits the ground running.
Andy Robertson arrived at Liverpool from Hull City and spent the first few months of the 2017-18 season sitting on the bench while Alberto Moreno ran up and down the left flank. A year later, midfielder Fabinho was signed early in the summer but didn’t play a single minute in the Premier League until Oct. 20. Come May 2019, they were both starting in Liverpool’s Champions League final win over Tottenham. And, the following season, both were stalwarts for the eventual Premier League champions.
As Liverpool won that league title, Manchester City struggled to find a replacement for their do-everything defensive midfielder, Fernandinho. They had signed Rodri from Atlético Madrid, but he didn’t seem up to the task of both progressing the ball aggressively and chopping down every opposition counter attack. And who could blame him? Reactive Atlético and proactive City were at opposite points on the tactical spectrum. Four years later, Rodri has won the Ballon d’Or, the Champions League, and four Premier League titles.
If you’d judged any of these transfers based on their first six matches, you would’ve missed out on arguably the best left back in Premier League history, a stalwart holding midfielder for one of the best teams the league has ever seen, and a guy who was literally voted as the best player on the planet last year.
So, should we just ignore everything we’ve seen so far this season, then? Not quite! But we should at least know how to weigh it: not too harshly.
So, let’s assess all of this past summer’s transfers with that in mind. No one is a bust. No one is a success. But if you had to make minor adjustments to expectations using the added evidence of the first month-plus to the season, how would you do it?
For this exercise, we went through all of the players who (A) permanently changed teams this summer, and (B) have estimated market values on Transfermarkt of €40 million or more, then determined whether the expectations for that player’s future success with his new team should be upgraded, downgraded, or maintained.
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Noni Madueke: Chelsea to Arsenal, €56 million
• Market value: €40 million
• Position: Right winger
• Age: 23
I loved this move at the time. Arsenal were getting a pre-prime player at the premium position in the sport for significantly less than significantly worse players moved for this same summer. He’d also underperformed his expected goals (xG) and expected assists (xA) numbers last season, so there was a chance for both age-related and regression-related improvement.
At the same time, it was bizarre that Chelsea were letting him go, so maybe there was something wrong we couldn’t see from the outside.
Although he’s now injured, he’d been fantastic to start the season and gave Arsenal the cover for Bukayo Saka they so badly needed last season.
Expectation adjustment: Upgrade
Liam Delap: Ipswich to Chelsea, €35.5m
• Market value: €40m
• Position: Center forward
• Age: 22
He’s only played 93 minutes and is now out injured for a couple of months.
Expectation adjustment: None
• Market value: €40m
• Position: Goalkeeper
• Age: 26
There are no questions about his shot-stopping and lots of questions about his ability with the ball at his feet. Two games isn’t enough to tell us anything yet.
Expectation adjustment: None
Mohammed Kudus: West Ham to Tottenham, €63.8m
• Market value: €45m
• Position: Right winger
• Age: 24
Through six games, Kudus has generated more than half of the expected goals assisted (1.8) than he did in all of last season with West Ham (3.1). He looked like a classic great dribbler who didn’t actually help create chances, but he’s right around 0.5 goals+assists per 90 minutes so far this season. If he can keep that up, then this is a much better signing that it initially seemed.
Expectation adjustment: Upgrade
Milos Kerkez: Bournemouth to Liverpool, €46.9m
• Market value: €45m
• Position: Left back
• Age: 21
He has struggled to start the season, but it’s unclear how much of that should be put on him. He’s touching the ball more than he did at Bournemouth, but he’s actually getting on the ball less often in the opposition penalty area and in the attacking third with Liverpool.
Kerkez flourished as an all-action up-and-down full back last season — but this season he’s being asked to help progress the ball from deep, and it hasn’t clicked.
Expectation adjustment: Downgrade
Alejandro Garnacho: Manchester United to Chelsea, €46.2m
• Market value: €45m
• Position: Left winger
• Age: 21
He’s only played 11 Premier League minutes, and a lot of that is due to his last-minute transfer and early Chelsea red cards in each of the past two games.
Expectation adjustment: None
Rayan Cherki: Lyon to Manchester City, €36.5m
• Market value: €45m
• Position: Right winger
• Age: 21
The concern with this transfer wasn’t: Will Rayan Cherki be a great attacking player? He was expected to be — he was in France, for multiple years, and Ligue 1 usually translates quite well to the Premier League.
Rather, the bigger question was: Will Rayan Cherki’s defensive shortcomings outweigh his attacking contributions? He is currently injured, so we must wait to make any adjustments.
Expectation adjustment: None
• Market value: €45m
• Position: Center forward
• Age: 25
After a lights-out opening match against Parma, he has slowly declined in effectiveness, fell out of the starting XI, and then didn’t even make it off the bench in this past weekend’s 1-1 draw with Atalanta.
The player hierarchy at Juventus seems to change every game, though, so this feels more like a wait-and-see situation.
Expectation adjustment: None
Jeremie Frimpong: Leverkusen to Liverpool, €40m
• Market value: €50m
• Position: right back
• Age: 24
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While Kerkez has been forced into a role on the left that he’s not yet suited for, the plan for Frimpong on the other side also isn’t quite clear.
He’s lost out on starts to both Conor Bradley and Dominik Szoboszlai, and the former wing back has looked uncomfortable in possession whenever he’s been in traditional right back positions. Frimpong’s future role at Liverpool is slightly murkier than it was a couple months ago.
Expectation adjustment: Downgrade
João Pedro: Brighton to Chelsea, €63.7m
• Market value: €50m
• Position: Center forward
• Age: 23
Could he generate enough around the goal to be the starting center forward for a team with dreams of making a Champions League run and challenging near the top of the Premier League?
He’s scored twice and assisted three more, but his expected goals, expected assists, and expected-possession-value-added numbers are all down from last season. Still, about 1.5 of Chelsea’s six games have been with a man down, and there have been some moments where you understand how this all might work.
Expectation adjustment: Downgrade
Tijjani Reijnders: AC Milan to Manchester City, €55m
• Market value: €50m
• Position: central midfield
• Age: 26
He’s had some really nice moments where you start to get it. He went lights-out against Wolves for five minutes and briefly looked like the best player in the world as he effortlessly ripped their backline apart. And his burst from midfield and skill on the ball — combined with Erling Haaland breaking the speed of sound — created the goal against Arsenal last weekend.
But the worry with Reijnders is that he’s just that: a moments player, and not a midfielder who is able to affect the game for the full 90 minutes.
Expectation adjustment: None
Jamie Gittens: Dortmund to Chelsea, €56m
• Market value: €50m
• Position: Left winger
• Age: 20
While he looked like a long-term-project signing, there was at least a small chance that Gittens came in and immediately took it to Premier League defenses. Instead, he’s taken four total shots and created three total chances with 0.11 xG and 0.11 expected assists.
Expectation adjustment: None
Bryan Mbeumo: Brentford to Manchester United, €75m
• Market value: €55m
• Position: Right winger
• Age: 25
A reasonable expectation for Mbeumo was that he would be a pretty good attacker who would make a bad attacking team better at attacking, but that he also wouldn’t maintain his unsustainable finishing performance from last season.
Man United are now leading the league with 12.2 expected goals created through six games, and they’ve turned that into seven actual goals.
Expectation adjustment: None
play
1:27
Nicol: The Man United team is just not good enough
Steve Nicol questions the level of Manchester United’s players as he believes the squad needs an ‘overhaul’.
Eberechi Eze: Crystal Palace to Arsenal, €69.3m
• Market value: €55m
• Position: Attacking midfield
• Age: 27
He’s only started two games so far, so we’ll push this one off for now — but Crystal Palace do seem a little bit better without him. Well, at least, they’re not any worse.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are still scoring pretty much all of their goals from set plays, so it’s not evident how much he’s helped improve them so far. At the same time, his ball over the top for Gabriel Martinelli‘s equalizer against Manchester City was the exact kind of situation the Gunners have struggled to create over the past couple seasons.
Expectation adjustment: None
Ãlex Baena: Villarreal to Atlético, €42m
• Market value: €55m
• Position: Left winger
• Age: 23
This summer, Baena was the young, undervalued guy with amazing underlying stats that people like me love — the potential superstar hiding in plain sight. But he’s only played 68 total LaLiga minutes so far this season.
Plenty of other young, creative types have seen their careers stall under Atlético manager Diego Simeone, and that outcome is slightly more likely than it was a few months ago.
Expectation adjustment: Downgrade
Matheus Cunha: Wolves to Manchester United, €74.2m
• Market value: €60m
• Position: Second striker
• Age: 26
See: Mbeumo, Bryan.
Expectation adjustment: None
• Market value: €60m
• Position: Defensive midfield
• Age: 26
If we account for schedule difficulty, Arsenal have been the best team in the Premier League so far this season. And, well, Zubimendi has played every minute of every game for that same team.
There was no guarantee he’d be good enough to be a never-leave-the-field contributor for Arsenal right from the start. It already seems pretty clear that he is.
Expectation adjustment: Upgrade
Dean Huijsen: Bournemouth to Real Madrid, €62.5m
• Market value: €60m
• Position: Center back
• Age: 20
While Huijsen was really good as a teenager for Bournemouth last season, was he “immediately start for Real Madrid” good? Turns out that Xabi Alonso thinks so, and Huijsen is second among all Madrid players in progressive passes per 90 minutes.
At the same time, he’s already been red-carded once, Madrid just got annihilated by a scuffling Atlético team, and they’re in the bottom half of LaLiga for expected goals conceded.
Sounds about right for a 20-year-old who’s making the leap from the ninth-best team in the Premier League to a team that expects to win every major trophy, every season.
Expectation adjustment: None
Estêvão: Palmeiras to Chelsea, €45m
• Market value: €60m
• Position: Right winger
• Age: 18
Through six games, an 18-year-old Brazilian kid is leading Chelsea in expected goals-plus-assists per 90 minutes and he made our list of the 13 players most likely to win the Ballon d’Or in 2035.
Expectation adjustment: Upgrade
Luis DÃaz: Liverpool to Bayern Munich, €70m
• Market value: €70m
• Position: Left winger
• Age: 28
There was a small chance that Diaz just didn’t fit at Bayern, but the larger issue with this deal is that it was a lot of money for a player already at the end of his peak years. That problem remains, even though Diaz has been world class in his first month-plus in Germany.
Expectation adjustment: None
Xavi Simons: Leipzig to Tottenham, €65m
• Market value: €70m
• Position: Attacking midfield
• Age: 22
He has started only two matches, neither of which was particularly notable in a positive or negative way.
Expectation adjustment: None
Benjamin Sesko: Leipzig to Manchester United, €76.5m
• Market value: €70m
• Position: Center forward
• Age: 22
The Brentford game summed up the Sesko situation as it stands: He took two shots from outside the box, another shot from no angle off a set piece, and then three shots in a five-second span that eventually led to a goal. He then didn’t take another shot after the 32nd minute.
So, it’s long stretches of inefficiency and ineffectiveness, punctuated by a moment or two every match of “oh-my-god-did-he-really-do-that.” This was what I expected, but I thought there was at least a small chance that his athleticism might overwhelm the Premier League right away.
Expectation adjustment: Downgrade
Hugo Ekitike: Frankfurt to Liverpool, €95m
• Market value: €75m
• Position: Center forward
• Age: 23
Just another lesson in why we should pay little attention to finishing performance in any given individual season: Ekitike scored 14 non-penalty goals last season in the Bundesliga from 19.38 xG. This season for Liverpool, he’s scored three goals from 1.8 xG.
Back when news of his move to Liverpool first emerged, it seemed Ekitike had all the makings of both a complete bust and a future superstar.
Since then, he’s been frustrating in possession at times — holding the ball for too long, turning it over right as multiple teammates make runs beyond him — and his red card against Southampton in the third round of the Carabao Cup was one of the funniest things you’ll ever see happen on the field. (He got sent off for picking up a second yellow card after holding his jersey up to the crowd like he was Lionel Messi at the Santiago Bernabeu, having scored a tap-in against the 19th-place team in the Championship.)
But he’s already been a plus-contributor to Liverpool — it’s unlikely that he’ll be a bust.
Expectation adjustment: Upgrade
play
1:17
Burley slams Ekitike for missing Liverpool’s first defeat
Craig Burley blasts Hugo Ekitike for being suspended for Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace after receiving a red card vs. Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
• Market value: €75m
• Position: Center forward
• Age: 27
He’s worked really hard, and the numbers show it. Per Gradient, he’s leading all Premier League players in sprints (defined as runs where a player reached 25 kilometers per hour or greater).
But he just still hasn’t produced around the goal. He attempted zero shots in the three games against the two Manchester clubs and Liverpool, and despite starting all six games for the Gunners and not contributing much at all in build-up play, he ranks just 16th among all Premier League players for non-penalty expected goals.
Expectation adjustment: Downgrade
• Market value: €75m
• Position: Right back
• Age: 26
On the one hand, he’s barely done anything for Madrid. It even seemed like he was on the wrong side of a platoon with Dani Carvajal — and then injured his hamstring. The downside of Alexander-Arnold moving anywhere from Liverpool was his new manager not being willing to cover up for his deficiencies, or not being willing to exploit his otherworldly passing skills. And we at least did see some of that over the first couple weeks of the season in Spain.
At the same time, Liverpool look so different, and so frequently out of sorts, without him in the team. There have been so many moments where the ball goes out to the right side — some 30 or 40 yards from goal — and then … nothing happens. Play just gets recycled or someone runs down the line and tries to play a cross that gets blocked. In the past, those possessions would be immediately turned into dangerous crosses or through balls to onrushing midfielders or strikers.
The first month in Madrid was a reminder of just how unconventional of a player Alexander-Arnold is, and the first month in Liverpool was a reminder of just how freaking good he is.
Expectation adjustment: None
Alexander Isak: Newcastle to Liverpool, €145m
• Market value: €120m
• Position: Center forward
• Age: 25
He has started one Premier League match so far, and he has only played in two. Check back with me in a month.
Expectation adjustment: None
Florian Wirtz: Leverkusen to Liverpool, €125m
• Market value: €140m
• Position: Attacking midfield
• Age: 22
He has … zero goals and zero assists through six matches. Not ideal! Of course, the quality of his shots and passes suggest he should have about one of each so far, but you shouldn’t be happy with that from your then-club-record signing at attacking midfield.
The best-case scenario for this transfer was that you got a player who would immediately play at a world-class level — and then continue to do so (and maybe get even better) once Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk aged out of the starting XI. The latter is very much still in play, while the former is, too — we just haven’t seen it yet.
Expectation adjustment: Downgrade