Latest news with #Anderlecht
New York Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Sunderland agree €20.5m deal for midfielder Noah Sadiki
Sunderland have agreed a deal worth €20.5million (£17.75m) to sign midfielder Noah Sadiki from Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise. The agreement is worth a guaranteed €17.5m, with potentially a further €3m in bonus payments. Sadiki, 20, is a Congolose international who joined RUSG in 2023 from Anderlecht. He won the Belgian Cup in 2024 and was part of the RUSG side which won the Belgian Pro League for the first time in 90 years in 2025, also being named in the division's team of the year. He made over 50 appearances for his club last season, including starting all 10 of RUSG's Europa League fixtures as they were beaten by Ajax in the play-offs in February. Analysis by Seb Stafford-Bloor DR Congo midfielder Sadiki joined Union Saint-Gilloise (RUSG) in 2023, for a cut-price €1.3million (£1.1m; $1.5m at current rates) from fellow Belgians Anderlecht. His growth since then has been remarkable — last season, he was one of the tenets of RUSG's first league title win in 90 years and was deservedly named in the division's team of the year. Advertisement As a way of describing him, it's difficult to find a direct comparison — his balance of skills is unusual. He's a sturdy, dependable ball-winner, but an artisan in possession with a cultured passing range. He's one of those No 8s without a fixed label, whose different attributes become more prominent depending on how relevant they are within a specific part of a game. It's a coup of a signing for a newly-promoted team. (RUNO FAHY/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Leeds United complete signing of centre-back Sebastiaan Bornauw from Wolfsburg
Leeds United have confirmed their third signature of the summer transfer window with the arrival of centre-back Sebastiaan Bornauw. The newly-promoted Premier League outfit have agreed to pay VfL Wolfsburg €6m (£5.2m, $7.1m) for the 26-year-old. Bornauw has signed a four-year contract at Elland Road and, at 6ft 3in, underlines United's keenness to recruit tall and strong players this summer. ✍️ Welcome Sebastiaan! — Leeds United (@LUFC) July 1, 2025 Lukas Nmecha, Bornauw's former Wolfsburg team-mate, and Jaka Bijol, a fellow centre-back, are 6ft 1in and 6ft 3in respectively. The Belgium international began his career with Anderlecht and after only one senior campaign with the Brussels giants, FC Koln came calling from the Bundesliga. It only took two seasons in the German top flight for Wolfsburg to then swoop. Advertisement United's new recruit had four seasons at Volkswagen Arena and comes to West Yorkshire with 140 Bundesliga appearances to his name, as well as Europa League and Champions League exposure. He made his debut for Belgium in 2020 and has four caps to date. The noises coming out of Elland Road after promotion had suggested they would look for physically imposing players to keep them in the Premier League. All three of their new faces fit that bill. On paper, Bijol and Joe Rodon are probably the strongest centre-back pairing, but in Pascal Struijk and, now, Bornauw, Daniel Farke has a strong quartet to choose from. Max Wober has long been expected to leave, while question marks may now hover over Struijk's future. If the Dutch defender were sold, it would ease United's profit and sustainability (PSR) picture because of how little they paid for him in 2018. There have been no steers from the club to suggest Struijk, specifically, has to go, but outgoings are needed this summer to ease the PSR projections. Like Nmecha, Bornauw has had injury issues in more recent times with Wolfsburg. At a sniff over £5million, Leeds will feel they have got great value for money, but they will need to keep him fit to see any benefit. Analysis from German football correspondent Sebastian Stafford-Bloor Bornauw had a terrible time with injury in 2024-25 and much like VfL's season as a whole, just couldn't seem to gain any momentum or confidence; he played fewer than 800 Bundesliga minutes. With the squad in transition and now, after the sacking of Ralph Hasenhuttl, under new management, it's not a surprise that — with a year left on his contract — he's likely to leave. Look beyond Bornauw's recent injury difficulties, though. Fit and healthy, he is an obelisk-like centre-back. Advertisement Not fancy, not likely to carry the ball past a pressing attacker or arrow a perfect ball onto a winger's instep from 50 yards, but a cornerstone piece who seems to enjoy the physical aspects of the game and should have few issues competing in Premier League penalty boxes. (Main image courtesy Leeds United FC)
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea's 'next Eden Hazard' retires aged just 28 after being 'killed' by exit
Former Chelsea wonderkid Charly Musonda left Stamford Bridge in 2022 and just three years down the line, has decided to hang up his boots in an emotional announcement Ex- Chelsea starlet Charly Musonda has decided to retire at just 28 three years after leaving West London. The Belgian winger joined the Blues from Anderlecht in 2012, moving through the Blues' youth system until his eventual breakthrough. He made his first-team debut for Chelsea in 2017 and went on to make seven senior appearances for the club. Big things were expected of Musonda and he was even tipped to be the successor to club icon and compatriot Eden Hazard. But things then went downhill for Musonda in West London after loan spells with Real Betis, Celtic and Vitesse Arnhem. He eventually left the club for nothing in 2022 at the end of his contract, with Levante and Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta then making moves for him. But he left the latter last summer and has been without a club since. Musonda has now decided to hang up his boots despite having only 63 appearances under his belt. Speaking on the Rising Ballers podcast, he said: "I've got a big announcement today. It's not easy but it's something I've been thinking about for a long time. After reflecting on my experiences and who I am, I've realised I want to live with purpose to inspire and motivate others." Opening up on his time with Chelsea - and eventual exit - Musonda has revealed that his departure from the club was the catalyst behind his downturn in form. He added: "The exit killed me. It killed me mentally. It was the worst thing. 'I was obviously with the reserves at that time so the plan was to pick up with the reserves, get some training in and if there were a few games where I could fit in toward the back end of the season, that was the plan. "Because I literally had just gotten better. I came back in December-January and was training with the reserves. Feeling amazing, happy to be back—obviously it was a long way for me to be fully fit, but just being able to train was amazing. "The first team was doing really well. It was COVID, so the buildings were split and you wouldn't really see the first team. Then toward the back end of the season in the car park I ran into Thomas Tuchel, the manager. "They were getting ready for the semi-final of the Champions League and he just said, 'How are you feeling? How are things going?. "It was my first time meeting him. He said, 'I'm looking forward to seeing you back and I said, 'Don't worry, I'll be back for pre-season. "Because in my mind, it was always pre-season and I'd be back with the first team and we'd see from there. So I came back for pre-season and that's where things got tricky. That was the end of my time at Chelsea." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Anderlecht in talks with Deportivo Alaves for Malian defender
HLN are reporting that Anderlecht are in discussions with La Liga side Deportivo Alaves for 24-year-old Malian central defender Moussa Diarra. The former Toulouse man was the subject of a bid from the Mauves of around €2.5m, yet the Spanish side are hoping to get in the region of €4m. Anderlecht could certainly do with more central defensive cover, and with Diarra being left footed he would be able to replace the retiring Jan Vertonghen. Diarra only joined the Spanish side last summer and went on to make 27 appearances across La Liga nad the Copa del Rey. The side finished the season in 15th place. Prior to his Spanish adventure, Diarra had been part of the Toulouse set up, making his senior debut during the 2019/2020 season. He was part of the promotion winning side of 2021/2022, making 30 appearances that season. All in all, Diarra played 109 games for Toulouse, scoring once. He is also a full Malian international. Advertisement The Mauves are certainly being more active this summer than they were last year. They are closing in on a deal to sign Nathan-Dylan Saliba from the MLS, with a number of other targets also lined up. GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool make first move to sign NEXT Luis Diaz
The next player on Liverpool's radar is Nilson Angulo. In an interview with Gabriela Alcivar for EDCF as per Footy Condor, it was mentioned that Liverpool had sent scouts to watch the Ecuadorian winger in action for the national team recently. Angulo has just turned 22-years-old and plays his football for Anderlecht in Belgium. He's incredibly talented and is regarded as a top-prospect in his country. Advertisement Over the course of the last six months he has also emerged as a really useful player for Anderlecht's first team. A quick and rapid attacker, who thrives on the wings, Anguilo has stood-out for his versatility. He's capable of playing on the left and the right flank and not just as a winger but as a full-back as well. At times this season, he's even played as a forward. In this sense, he is very much the profile of player Liverpool will be looking at so it's no surprise the club's scouts are keeping an eye on him. One thing to note about Anguilo is the fact that he's a brilliant dribbler. He's averaged 8.38 dribblers per 90 this season and completed 53% of his attempts, meaning he is completing around four dribblers per every 90 minutes. Advertisement On top of that he has a really high defensive work-rate. He's averaged 7.76 defensive duels per 90 and 6.04 recoveries. Meanwhile, he ranks among the top-performers for regaining possession in the opposition's final third. All of those qualities would assert that Anguilo is a player who would absolutely suit Liverpool. In fact if he can continue that output he's someone who could surpass even Luis Diaz, who is known for his brilliant one vs one ability. In general Anguilo does seem like a similar type of player to the Colombian but perhaps even better when it comes to his defensive work-rate and dribbling ability, which is an exciting prospect. Obviously, he's not quite at the level you need to be to be a Liverpool player just yet. But with the club's multi-club model plans just around the corner, Anguilo is exactly the type of player Michael Edwards could sign for a team like Getafe, who is being touted as FSG's next purchase. And at Getafe he could slowly build his career up to become a special player. The underlying numbers he is producing are already incredible, so the tools are there for Anguilo to be a future star.
