Midfielder confirms he's ready to join Liverpool — and more

Anfield Watchunderstands the club are huge admirers of Caleb Yirenkyi, and could be making a move for him in the summer.

Yirenkyi plays for FC Nordsjaelland and he only turned 20-years-old last month but already has over 40 appearances for the Danish club that has an impressive track-record of producing elite talent who have gone onto do well in Europe's top five leagues.

The youngster proved once again what an impressive player he is for Nordsjaelland in their victory over FC Kobenhavn in the Danish Superliga on Saturday.

With Liverpool scouts in attendance, Yirenkyi was one of the best players on the pitch and put in a spectacular performance to help secure the three points for his side.

He covered vast swathes of ground and showcased exactly what he is about. The Ghanian won five out of seven ground duels, completed the most dribbles on the pitch (2), completed 79 out of 81 pass attempts, while creating two chances, and winning all of his aerial duels.

It was a phenomenal performance and it confirmed that he's too good for this level. It also confirmed that he is ready for the step-up to a club like Liverpool and that he very much fits the club's style of play.

Yirenkyi is all action. He's comfortable playing in a side that dominates the ball and also has to press high.

The youngster would flourish under Arne Slot's system. He may not be a regular started but as we mentioned above Liverpool need more than just one midfielder.

Wataru Endo is likely leaving Anfield. The future of Curtis Jones is up in the air. Having someone like Yirenkyi makes a lot of sense.

He can play anywhere in midfield and on top of that he can also cover at full-back, meaning he'd still play a lot of games even if he was not first choice.

His performance at Saturday will likely have blown the club's scouts away and all the Reds need to do now is to agree a fee for him before someone else does.

According to a report this week, Chelsea are open to selling Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, and Trevoh Chalobah in the summer.

We are soon heading towards the end of another Premier League season, and that means another summer transfer window. It might seem some way off at this point, but it will soon be here, and clubs are making plans for it regardless.

EXCLUSIVE! Two more NEW names added to Chelsea summer list of targets – One from Wolves and one from Atletico Madrid!! 👀

Chelsea will be taking a look at what positions they wish to add to in the summer, and who they will need to sell in order to make room and allocate funds towards more new signings.

One area they are looking to sign another new addition in despite bringing back Mamadou Sarr from his loan with Strasbourg in the winter transfer window, is centre back.

Chelsea looking at Murillo

Tosin Adarabioyo in action for Chelsea at the Club World Cup. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

According to a report from TEAMtalk this week, Chelsea are looking to sign Murillo from Nottingham Forest and along with Liverpool, they have apparently laid down the most groundwork to sign him.

And as part of this same report, it says that Chelsea are open to listening to offers for Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah — a situation that could accelerate their push for another central defender.

I’d not be at all surprised to see all three of these names depart Chelsea in the summer window. It just feels like an inevitable situation, as long as Chelsea get suitable offers for them.

In other news…

Friday night saw a domestic debut for Mamadou Sarr at Chelsea, and he knows he’s going to have limited time to impress before the summer.

Chelsea are warming up for what could be a busy summer, and there are reports that Elliot Anderson could be on the their list. It would take a massive bid to buy him though.

Manchester City left James Trafford in the dark over plans to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma just weeks after bringing him back to the Etihad Stadium.

City’s goalkeeping situation has been one of the most closely watched storylines of the 2025/26 campaign, particularly after the club’s decision to invest heavily in the position during the summer transfer window.

Trafford’s return to the Etihad Stadium from Burnley was initially framed as a long-term move aligned with Pep Guardiola’s philosophy, but circumstances shifted rapidly once the window progressed.

The 23-year-old rejoined City in a £31 million deal and was entrusted with starting duties at the beginning of the season, featuring prominently during the early Premier League schedule. However, the late arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma altered the hierarchy, prompting Trafford’s transition into a supporting role.

Speaking to reporters after yet another fine performance when called upon by Pep Guardiola in domestic cup action for Manchester City, James Trafford spoke openly about his role as back-up choice goalkeeper for the club.

“I didn’t expect the situation to happen, but it’s happened, so you just get on with it”, the 23-year-old told reporters at the Etihad Stadium.

When asked to clarify whether he specifically meant the club’s signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma weeks after his arrival, Trafford said, “Yeah. It’s happened so I’ll work very hard every day and then see what happens, give it my best shot.”

On whether Manchester City moving for the Italian international had ever felt on the cards when he signed for the club from Burnley, Trafford said, “No, no. It’s just another experience to add to my career and yeah, it has been good learning.”

While league and European opportunities have been limited, James Trafford has carved out an important role as City’s trusted option in knockout competitions, providing stability and composure during high-pressure fixtures.

That trust has been repaid with a series of impressive displays, most notably during City’s run to the 2026 Carabao Cup Final, featuring in all five matches including both legs of the semi-final against Newcastle, underlining his value in Guardiola’s rotation strategy.

Guardiola has continued to publicly commend James Trafford’s attitude and technical quality, highlighting his sharpness despite extended periods without regular starts. And as Manchester City continue to compete on multiple fronts, Trafford’s readiness ensure he remains a dependable option.

The NBA All-Star Game has drawn a lot of ire from fans in recent years. Basketball lovers wanted to see competitive hoops, not the biggest stars in the Association just going through the motions. To address these concerns, the league implemented an All-Star round-robin tournament that showed some promise in terms of competition.

Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who's always played with zeal, added to the fun of the 2026 All-Star experiment in Los Angeles. He joined Team Stripes, which featured veteran stars from the United States like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, and led them to a 42-40 victory in the first game against Team Stars, which rostered young stars from the United States like Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey.

Showing up & showing out 🤩

JB in Game 1:
11 PTS
3 REB
1 BLK pic.twitter.com/wXcYn3pVxH

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 15, 2026

Brown notched a team-high 11 points in the narrow win while shooting over 50% from the floor during the 12-minute contest. Team Stripes then moved onto its next game against the third and final squad of the mini-tourney: Team World. While Brown didn't contribute any points in his team's meeting with the global NBA stars, he still managed to notch 2 steals and 1 block en route to an exciting 48-45 win.

The fun ended there for Team Stripes, as the vets were crushed 47-21 by Team Stars in the All-Star championship game. The Stars used their fresh legs to dominate the rematch, with Edwards' 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 8 minutes of play helping him secure the All-Star Game MVP award.

Brown struggled in the finale, missing 8 of his 10 shots and netting 0 triples on 7 attempts. His 4 points were still more than the majority of his teammates — outside of James, who had 5 points in the loss, and De'Aaron Fox, who finished with a team-high 6 points.

Results aside, the overall effort of the tournament seemed to breathe some new life into the star-studded spectacle. That should make the league happy, so perhaps it's a smart idea to invite Brown and several of the other fiery competitors back next year.

Of course, it's not like the five-time All-Star needs any help returning in 2027. His play should speak for itself. But before All-Star talks resume in a year from now, Brown will focus on leading the Celtics to the 2026 NBA Playoffs. His journey to do so continues on Thursday, Feb. 19 when the C's travel to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors.

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Jaylen Brown, Team Stripes advance to All-Star championship game before coming up short

The Gold Coast council plans to push more high-density housing inland to cope with a population surge to 1 million, amid warnings infrastructure isn't keeping up.