The Los Angeles Lakers' decision to give LeBron James a two-year contract extension worth $97.1million is as much about the player's brand as his ability, says sport finance expert Dan Plumley.
James had been entering the final year of a contract worth $44.5m. His new deal includes a player option for the 2024-25 season.
The extension takes the 37-year-old to $532m in guaranteed career earnings, which would mean he is the highest-paid player in the history of the league.
Despite his increasing years, James is still one of the top performers in the NBA, averaging 30.3 points per game in the 2021-22 season.
Speaking to Stats Perform, Plumley admitted he is surprised by the short-term nature of the deal not usually seen in US sports, but understands the brand of the athlete is often as important as the ability.
"I think that's now more the case than ever in every professional sport," said Plumley, who is principal lecturer in sport finance at Sheffield Hallam University. "Every team's looking at how they can use their superstars across respective sports.
"Of course, it's about first and foremost what they can do on the court, on the pitch, it's absolutely still about that.
"But the other side of it is what do they bring from a commercial side of things and what's the brand association, and what's the fit like, and how can the club or team leverage some of that against the superstars that they've got?
"It's absolutely the case with LeBron James. Of course it is. But I think it's the case across the board now for a lot of professional teams."
With James approaching 40 by the end of the two-year deal and with a history of injuries, there appears to be significant risk in the investment for the Lakers, but Plumley thinks it will be worth taking if it produces a championship or two.
"I think that there's the risk... but there was also the risk of losing him and losing the asset and losing the brand association and the value that somebody like LeBron James brings with the Lakers and everything else he's got going on in his personal life as well," he said.
"We know he's connected to Liverpool [Football Club, minority ownership] and the wider network that he operates in. So there's that at play where you're balancing the risk.
"From the playing side of things, yes, the injury risk is there but I think the Lakers felt that it was enough to get the next two years where they could potentially win something again with LeBron, and that risk was far lower than losing him. I think that's where they've ended up at.
"With the NBA, we know that careers can go a little bit later versus other sports. I think when you balance that off, the Lakers have obviously arrived at the decision that it's better to keep him now for a couple of years than potentially lose him."
In terms of the wider future of the NBA, Plumley understands there is danger in seeing deals increase in size, but believes basketball and other US sports will be safe from significant damage due to their closed nature and draft system.
"I think there's always the danger that you see figures like this, and we know that the salary cap is there, and there will always be a limit on this," Plumley added.
"But we've seen increases in the salary cap over time, which is not unusual when you think about the amount of money coming in. So if there's more money coming in, then there's an argument to raise the salary cap.
"I think what teams will always be suggesting and the way that side of things has gone is that there's an expectation that they need to keep raising the salary cap. And that's always okay if you've got the money coming in to support it, so I think that will be the trade-off.
"It's always a risk in any professional team sport. They are reliant on broadcasters and they're reliant on commercial partners to generate that revenue at the league level. And while that's okay and growing, these little increases in salary caps have been okay.
"The question always is 'where's the benchmark?' And if the benchmark has gone higher, because this is the biggest contract we've ever seen, then others will start to look towards that as the new benchmark. And I think that's just the risk in the background that you run.
"American sports are a little bit more protected in that sense, because of the nature of their league systems."
It is easy to imagine how Manchester United landed on Casemiro's name in the week that followed their shambolic 4-0 defeat at Brentford.
United were preyed upon by the Brentford press, giving up three chances and two goals from high turnovers as Christian Eriksen – a false nine in their previous match – ended up as the deepest midfielder and struggled badly.
Through two games, no Premier League side have allowed more shots following high turnovers than United (eight).
At the very least, Casemiro – a five-time Champions League winner anchoring one of the great modern midfields at Real Madrid – should make United harder to play against.
Yet the 30-year-old, whose arrival at Old Trafford appears imminent, possesses a vastly different profile to the previous two midfielders United very publicly pursued – ultimately unsuccessfully.
The progression from Frenkie de Jong to Adrien Rabiot to Casemiro was not a particularly obvious one, but have the Red Devils now ended up with the right man?
No more 'McFred'
Few United fans who have seen their 'McFred' midfield repeatedly overrun in recent seasons would complain about the club recruiting an upgrade on Fred.
The numbers would suggest that is what they are buying in Casemiro, who is comparable to his Brazil team-mate by several metrics.
Only two LaLiga midfielders made more recoveries than Casemiro (230) last season, yet his 8.0 per 90 were topped by Fred's 8.7. Fred matched Casemiro for tackles per 90 (both 2.8) and edged him in terms of interceptions (1.4 to 1.3).
However, Casemiro's physical presence ensured he won 59.7 per cent of his duels, far outperforming Fred's 47.8 per cent.
And the Madrid man, crucially, is more effective with the ball once he has won it.
Carlo Ancelotti's side attempted 43 shots at the end of sequences that started with Casemiro recovering possession, seeing the midfielder lead LaLiga in this regard and trail only Marcelo Brozovic (44) across Europe's top five leagues.
Although just 27.6 per cent of Casemiro's passes were played forward – versus Fred's 30.4 per cent – he was at the heart of so many Madrid attacks.
Casemiro played 34 passes to players who immediately created chances for team-mates, which compared very favourably with Rabiot (12), Scott McTominay (18), Fred (19) and, indeed, De Jong (22).
Carrying United's hopes
There was an obvious appeal to the attempted signing of De Jong, who would have offered something different to the United midfield.
Highly skilled with the ball at his feet, De Jong's carries progressed the play 113.6 metres upfield per 90 last season. United's five midfielders (Fred, McTominay, Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek) have progressed the ball only 384m combined so far this season – or 192m per 90.
Casemiro clearly cannot offer this dynamism either, given he carried the ball just 54.3m upfield per 90 last term.
And United could seemingly still benefit from a player of De Jong's talents, as Casemiro is used to being able to rely on others in midfield to fulfil this role; he was by far Madrid's least progressive midfield carrier in 2021-22, behind Toni Kroos (80.6m), Luka Modric (85.7m), Eduardo Camavinga (91.1m) and Federico Valverde (133.3m).
But considering the difficulties in getting that deal done with Barcelona, United's scattergun approach has at least – via Rabiot – picked out a player capable of helping them both with and without the ball.
No Premier League team has conceded more goals at this early stage than United, while they have only netted themselves courtesy of an own goal.
One man alone may not be able to get United's season back on track, but Casemiro is primed to give it a good go.
Napoli have completed the signing of midfielder Tanguy Ndombele on loan from Tottenham for the duration of the 2022-23 season, with an option to make the move permanent.
The France midfielder joined Spurs in 2019 from French outfit Lyon, where he spent the second half of last season on loan.
Spurs splashed a reported £65million on Ndombele three years ago and could be set for a considerable loss on their investment, with reports stating the fee Napoli will pay if they elect to make the move permanent is £25m.
Ndombele's exit makes the midfielder the fourth senior player to leave Spurs in the current transfer window, following the exits of Steven Bergwijn, Giovani Lo Celso and Joe Rodon.
Napoli, who started their Serie A campaign with a 5-2 win over Hellas Verona, have rejuvenated their squad with a number of additions – with Ndombele becoming the eighth signing of the window.
The Neapolitan side have also drafted in Kim Min-jae, Andre Zambo Anguissa, Mathias Olivera, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Leo Ostigard, Giovanni Simeone and Salvatore Sirigu.
A disappointing opening weekend for Barcelona saw Xavi's men held to a goalless draw against Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou, with plenty to improve upon.
Having seen the transfer window dominated by discussions around the club's transfer additions and the battle to get them registered in time, there was no saving Barcelona from a forgetful opening clash.
Next up is a trip to the Basque country to tackle Real Sociedad, who opened their campaign with a 1-0 victory on the road against Cadiz and will be encouraged by Barcelona's inability to get going.
Despite Barcelona's dominance in this fixture, it will be far from an easy encounter and the hosts will be keen to pile further pressure upon their Catalan opponents.
Barcelona Basque-ing in glory
Real Sociedad have failed to win any of their last 12 LaLiga matches against Barcelona, drawing twice and losing 10, which is their second-longest winless streak against the Blaugrana in the top-flight after a 17-match winless streak between November 1952 and October 1960 (D3 L14).
Barcelona travel to San Sebastian unbeaten in their last six LaLiga visits to Sociedad (W4 D2) and have won two on the bounce – but the club have only had three or more consecutive away wins against La Real once, four in September 1955.
If Barca do break the deadlock, it could open the floodgates. Since 1955, Real have conceded six or more goals at home in two matches - both of which came against Barcelona, the most recent of which was a 6-1 defeat in March 2021.
It is unlikely La Real will ever have a better opportunity of securing revenge against Barcelona.
Dembele leading the way
In the opening weekend, Barcelona attempted 21 shots on goal without finding the net – their highest total of shots in a game without scoring since drawing a blank against Malaga in November 2016 (29 shots)
Ousmane Dembele, re-signed ahead of the season, was the most creative outlet with five goalscoring chances created, more than any other player in LaLiga, to continue his impressive year to date.
In total, Dembele has created 42 chances and sits behind only Athletic Bilbao's Iker Muniain (53) and Real Betis' Nabil Fekir (45) for chances created in 2022.
Barca's barren run
Barcelona prepare to face La Real having failed to win or even score in their last three LaLiga matches – a run that extends back to the end of the 2021-22 season, where Barcelona finished the campaign with a goalless draw against Getafe and a 2-0 loss to Villarreal.
Never in Barcelona's history has the club gone four LaLiga matches in a row without scoring and they will require a significant improvement on last week's showing if they are to avoid that unwanted record.
In order to find a breakthrough, Barcelona may look towards an aerial route as three of their last five goals against their Basque opponents have come via headers - a major change of approach, as just one of the last 29 against Real have been scored in this way.
With Dembele and Raphinha crossing into Robert Lewandowski, that return may be boosted further.
La Real's recovery
Victory against Cadiz last weekend made it three wins in four LaLiga matches for Sociedad, a significant improvement as they had previously failed to win any of their last four prior to the start of that sequence.
Their includes two wins over Cadiz and a triumph against Villarreal, with the sole defeat coming on the final day of last season with a loss at the hands of Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid.
That sequence was vital in securing a spot in the Europa League for La Real, who finished three points ahead of Villarreal and seven ahead of Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao.
South Africa emphatically consigned England to a first Test defeat of their new era as Ben Stokes' side were thrashed by an innings and 12 runs inside three days at Lord's.
The potent Proteas pace attack did much of the damage once again, bowling a fragile England out for only 149 in 37.4 overs on Friday.
Dean Elgar's men dominated from start to finish in London, taking a first innings lead of 161 by posting 326 all out in reply to England's 165.
The tourists wrapped up the victory just over two-and-half days into the first of three Tests in the series to go 1-0 up, with the wickets shared between magnificent quicks Anrich Nortje (3-27), Kagiso Rabada (2-27), Marco Jansen (2-13) and Lungi Ngidi (1-15) after Keshav Maharaj took 2-27.
It was a chastening defeat for England, Stuart Broad and Alex Lees the joint top-scorers with 35 as they lost their perfect record since Stokes was appointed captain and Brendon McCullum head coach.
Broad took a brilliant one-handed catch for Matthew Potts to dismiss Rabada after South Africa resumed on 289-7, before claiming two wickets of his own to end the innings and leave Nortje unbeaten on 28.
Spinner Maharaj had England in trouble on 38-2 at lunch, dismissing the out-of-sorts Zak Crawley (13) leg before and trapping Ollie Pope (five) in front with the last ball of the morning session.
The Proteas pace attack again came to the fore in the afternoon session, Ngidi getting rid of Joe Root (six) before a fired up Nortje had Jonny Bairstow (18), Lees and Ben Foakes (nought) caught behind.
Broad came out swinging (35) as he put on 55 with Ben Stokes for the seventh wicket before he was deceived by a slower ball from Rabada and Jansen cleaned up Potts.
Stokes (20) picked out Maharaj in the deep knowing he was almost out of partners to become Rabada's second victim and Jansen bowled James Anderson with a quick yorker to put England out of their misery.
Proteas fire to blow England away
England had won all four Tests under their new coach and captain, whitewashing New Zealand 3-0 and beating India in a rearranged match at Edgbaston.
They were brought down to earth by a ruthless South Africa, who showed why they are top of the World Test Championship. Their fast bowlers fired on all cylinders as England were beaten by an innings at Lord's for only the second time in 52 Tests since June 1993.
Left-arm tweaker Maharaj was not required to bowl in the first innings, but he set the ball rolling in England's second innings before the quicks ripped through the hosts.
Crawley could pay the price
Opener Crawley has been backed by Stokes and McCullum, but he could pay the price for two more failures.
England must regroup before the second Test at Old Trafford, where Crawley may have to step aside.
Frank Lampard offered no assurances that Anthony Gordon will remain at Everton beyond the end of the transfer window.
Gordon has been the subject of interest from Tottenham, Newcastle United and Chelsea in recent weeks.
Chelsea made their interest known last weekend, with reports emerging of a £40million bid having been rejected by Everton, who were then said to have turned down an improved, £45m offer.
With Everton having sold Richarlison to Tottenham in June, and with Dominic Calvert-Lewin injured, Gordon has been relied on to lead the line in their opening Premier League games.
Both of those have ended in defeat, to Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively, but despite the latest developments, Lampard has no concerns over Gordon's mentality ahead of what might already be a crucial meeting with Nottingham Forest.
Yet when asked if he could guarantee Gordon will remain an Everton player after the window closes on September 1, Lampard told reporters: "You can't ask me to assure anything, that'll be naive for me to assure anything. I might not even be here! Who knows. I don't want to get into hypotheticals."
Everton have so far not brought in a striker to fill in for Calvert-Lewin or effectively replace last season's leading scorer Richarlison, but Lampard hopes it will not have to be a case of choosing between keeping Gordon or raising funds for another attacker.
He said: "Anthony's our player, we're not looking at it like 'where can we go with this deal to improve us?' Anthony's a great player that we've developed, which is a big deal.
"We know his value, because we see the value of players that are moving at the minute. He's a big player for me and the team, I think about what more can we do for the team.
"He's in the squad. Any chat I had with him will remain private and as any player should do, they have to get on with their own game, train well, prepare well.
"He's our player, simple as that."
The future of Gordon's club-mate Dele Alli is also in doubt, with Everton having reportedly agreed to loan the former Tottenham star to Turkish side Besiktas.
Alli signed from Spurs on an initial free transfer in January, though Everton will have to pay £10m once the midfielder reaches 20 appearances. He has only made 13 so far, with just one of those coming as a start.
"There's interest in Dele, that's come out publicly in the last couple of days," Lampard acknowledged. "That's one for us behind the scenes to consider ourselves, and Dele has to consider that. For it to happen it'll have to be right for everybody.
"I think at the moment, people queue up to have an opinion and can get quite negative about it and I don't think that’s really fair for a young man whose talents took him onto the world stage of football and won Young Player of the Year twice, was one of the world talents at a young age. We respect that he needs to keep working and that it's his career."
Thomas Tuchel admitted footage of his spat with Antonio Conte was hilarious – but insisted the refereeing blunder that cost Chelsea a win over Tottenham remains no laughing matter.
It was last Sunday when emotions ran so high in the London derby that both bosses were red-carded after the final whistle.
Touchline tensions had been soaring and came to a head when Tuchel refused to immediately let go of Conte in the post-match handshake, affronted that the Italian had avoided eye contact.
This sparked further words being said and several backroom staff from both teams having to separate the two, before referee Anthony Taylor showed both men his red card.
Football Association charges have followed for Tuchel and Conte, but Tuchel accepts there was an element of comedy about the whole episode, which has led to a string of internet memes.
"Of course we laugh, it's very important to laugh about yourselves," said Chelsea's German head coach.
"I was laughing in the dressing room. It was the heat of the match and for me it was not that bad. It was a handshake and a bit too long and heavy a handshake. I admit it, but no harm was done at least from my side.
"The thing would have been very, very quickly ended if there were not 20 people around us that made it look much worse than it was. Of course I laughed about myself.
"I hope they [the FA] do not make more out of it. It's not that big a deal for me. I have nothing but the biggest respect for him and this will not change because of that incident."
What still firmly rankles with Tuchel is how Taylor and video assistant referee Mike Dean failed to call a foul on Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella shortly before Tottenham snatched a last-gasp equaliser to force a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Tottenham defender Cristian Romero appeared to pull Cucurella to the ground by his hair, and there was a pause in play while VAR official Dean took time to review the incident, but he decided against sending Taylor to the pitchside monitor and play was restarted.
Dean has since apologised for his error, but Tuchel said on Friday: "If the mistake is that big and that obvious, what's the point of not admitting it if the whole world sees it.
"I struggle a little to be fully impressed by the statement, I have to say. It is so clear and obvious, I still cannot understand how a referee cannot make the decision that was the right decision."
Tuchel later clarified to stress that he considered it was specifically Dean who "got it totally wrong" by not calling Taylor to take a closer look, and called for greater transparency in the decision-making process.
"Maybe they could explain the decisions on the field to everybody," Tuchel said.
Thomas Tuchel warned Chelsea cannot afford to trim their squad before the transfer window closes after losing hamstring injury victim N'Golo Kante for "several weeks".
The head coach would be prepared to consider player exits if he can bring in top-class replacements, but until then the likes of Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi will be staying.
That was the firm message from the Blues boss on Friday, two days out from his team's trip to Leeds United in the Premier League.
He said Kante's injury, sustained in last week's thrilling 2-2 draw with Tottenham, was "quite serious".
"We're talking about weeks, which is not good news," Tuchel said. "We're disappointed and sad because N'Golo was super important and super fit, and he will be out for several weeks."
Armando Broja and Mateo Kovacic are also out of contention this weekend, and while it has been mooted that Chelsea are open to loaning out some first-team players, Tuchel is adamant that should not happen at the moment. Pulisic has been linked with Manchester United.
"We will not comment on our players and will not encourage our players to go out in the moment," Tuchel said
"If I put the chin a little bit up and look at the schedule which is coming, with Southampton during the week and two Champions League matches ... it's coming, it's in front of the door, we will need a lot of quality players to be competitive."
Tuchel's outlook will change if Chelsea can corner their targets and bring them to Stamford Bridge.
"We work together about the reinforcements, but it's never easy," said the German. "It's not that we can wish for something and it will happen. As long as the transfer window is open, there are always possibilities."
Having loaned out Romelu Lukaku to Inter, Chelsea are lacking a proven striker in the number nine mould. The likes of Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz could do a job there, and may have to on a regular basis if Chelsea cannot sign a targetman.
"I believe we can compete with this group, but to be very honest it's one thing to compete once a week and another thing to compete 60 times in a year and three times in a week," Tuchel said.
"For this you need a strong group, and you need players who challenge for their place and their minutes and push each other to the highest level.
"We are very happy about the performance, and we are still active in the market, and we know what can be possible, but if not we will make the very best out of it.
"If we are looking, we're looking for high quality, and we're looking for personality that suits our group and suits our club, and nothing has changed."
Chelsea won 3-0 at Elland Road last season but surprisingly have never won consecutive away league games at Leeds. They were last beaten by the Yorkshire side in December 2002, when a 2-0 loss at Leeds was incurred after an own goal from William Gallas and a strike from a 16-year-old James Milner
Chelsea hoped Broja would be making an early-season impact after returning from his loan to Southampton, but the 20-year-old Albanian striker is on the injured list for now.
"We know enough about him, but it's one thing to perform on a loan and another to perform in a club like Chelsea," Tuchel said. "He's injured again, and that does not help his own ambitions and does not help us in having a clear view of what he can give us.
"Given the size of the squad at the moment, I would say it's a huge chance for Armando to have an impact at Chelsea. I understand this is his clear ambition, his clear goal to make this step here. He has our support, but unfortunately it's the second time he's injured in a short period of time, and he's held back for that reason."
Pep Guardiola reiterated he is hopeful of keeping hold of Bernardo Silva and suggested Manchester City's transfer business is finished for the year.
Silva has been repeatedly linked with a move to Guardiola's former club Barcelona this window after spending five successful seasons at the Etihad Stadium.
City manager Guardiola made clear once again on Friday that he wants the playmaker to stay at the club, although he cannot guarantee that will be the case.
"He's our player and he knows our wishes, me as a manager and even his mates." Guardiola said at a press conference. "What is going to happen? I don't know."
Reigning Premier League champions City have been busy this window, which shuts in a little under two weeks' time.
Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, Julian Alvarez and Sergio Gomez have joined, while Gabriel Jesus, Fernandinho, Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko have all departed.
Asked if City's transfer activity is finished, Guardiola said: "Apparently, yeah. If someone moves on or there is a problem we don't expect, then we'll see."
Haaland and Alvarez have featured in all three of City's matches this season, while Phillips has managed just one minute of action as he recovers from an injury issue.
However, Guardiola confirmed ahead of Sunday's trip to Newcastle United that Phillips is available again after missing the Bournemouth win, while Gomez is part of the squad.
The Citizens have lost just one of their past 29 Premier League games against Newcastle, with that solitary loss coming at St James' Park in January 2019.
United have been steadily strengthening their squad ahead of an expected battle for a European spot this term, and Guardiola is expecting a tough test this weekend.
"Newcastle away is always an incredible environment," Guardiola said. "I think what they have done with their spending is because they believe it's the best strategy.
"In the winter window they bought players because they were in trouble, then they got a lot of good results.
"Newcastle is a project not just for one or two seasons. We've seen in this window everyone spends a lot. I think they are here to stay here."
Guardiola has won all 10 of his Premier League meetings with Newcastle counterpart Eddie Howe – the best 100 per cent win record between managers in the competition.
While Guardiola has always got the better of Howe, the Catalan coach has been impressed by his opposite number's work in his nine months at the helm.
"Their numbers and style of play speak for itself," Guardiola said. "He arrived in a difficult position last season. When the owners took over he went on an incredible run of games.
"They have exceptional players in terms of how direct and aggressive they are. They have important players."
Christophe Galtier has warned any further delay in bringing new players to Paris Saint-Germain could scupper his team's chances of glory this season.
Head coach Galtier wants to usher away a number of fringe members of his squad and upgrade the overall quality ahead of a Champions League mission.
Alongside the defence of their Ligue 1 title, the priority for PSG is to land European glory this season, and Galtier has players in mind who he feels can help the capital club achieve their goals.
"Two weeks ago, I said we were expecting three new players," Galtier said on Friday.
The likes of Vitinha, Hugo Ekitike and Renato Sanches have already arrived during the transfer window, while Arnaud Kalimuendo, Thilo Kehrer, Angel Di Maria and Georginio Wijnaldum have left the Parc des Princes.
However, Galtier sees room for further strengthening of his squad, and despite saying he has seen promising signs of progress, the September 1 deadline is looming large. He and football advisor Luis Campos are in close contact, looking for solutions.
Inter defender Milan Skriniar has been strongly linked with a switch to PSG in recent weeks.
Ahead of Sunday's trip to Lille in Ligue 1, Galtier said: "We have identified players who could really help us out. Then there is the reality of the transfer market and both the financial and commercial aspect.
"We have lots of players under contract. That is why the club is looking to the ability to loan players out to different clubs, to reduce the number of contracts at the club.
"That is the first thing. With Luis Campos, we talk every few days about the squad, but there is a time delay between the financial, commercial and sporting sides."
Although PSG have made a rollicking start in Ligue 1, scoring 10 goals across two games so far, Galtier knows they have areas where improvements can be made.
"We are in a rush," he said. "In a week's time, we will be playing every three or four days. The schedule will be very busy. It is not easy to integrate a player when you're playing every three or four days.
"Delaying their arrival could affect our sporting plans. We don't want the squad to be the biggest possible, but with as much quality as possible. We don't want the quality to suffer."
Gabriel Agbonlahor responded to Jurgen Klopp's criticism of his "mentality" on Friday with a Twitter post remembering his winner against Liverpool at Anfield.
Agbonlahor's analysis of Manchester United's 4-0 defeat to Brentford last week so frustrated Klopp he almost rang in to talkSPORT to talk to the former Aston Villa striker, the Liverpool manager revealed.
Agbonlahor's scathing review of United's poor performance was "unbelievable" coming from an ex-player, Klopp suggested.
Speaking at a news conference ahead of Liverpool facing rivals United, the Reds boss said: "[Agbonlahor] lost against us 6-0 my first year [Villa v Liverpool, Feb 2016].
"I couldn't remember him as a mentality monster on the pitch, but what he said about United on that show, I was close to calling in!"
Yet Agbonlahor appeared to enjoy that barb, as he posted an image of his celebration in a 1-0 win against Liverpool in September 2014 – a year before Klopp's appointment at Anfield.
"Flashback Friday – mentality to win 1-0 at Anfield," read Agbonlahor's caption.
That was one of only three Premier League wins Agbonlahor enjoyed against Liverpool in 18 attempts, scoring twice and providing three assists.
Oleksandr Usyk has claimed "expectations are not met every time" after the Ukrainian surprisingly came in light at his pre-fight weigh in ahead of the rematch with Anthony Joshua.
The heavyweight champion was widely reported to have been bulking ahead of going toe-to-toe with Joshua in Saudi Arabia but, clocking in at 15 stone and 11 pounds, was only marginally heavier than his weight in north London last year.
Usyk, always keeping his cards close to his chest, refused to confirm whether it was a ploy for people to think he would be showing a heavier weight for Sunday's bout and was not drawn into pre-fight verbal jabs when interviewed after the scales.
Joshua also downplayed the significance of the weigh-on and face-off, having clocked in four and a half pounds heavier than last September, and remains focused on getting it done in the ring.
"For me, personally, the face-off doesn't mean anything. It's about throwing leather, the face off doesn't win fights. All of this stuff, weight, none of it matters to me, I'm just looking forward to the fight," he said.
The Brit has been preparing for the fight to go the full distance, just as it did at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when he lost his belts, adding: "I'm 100 per cent ready for 12 rounds and anything less than that is a bonus."
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar have patched up their differences at Paris Saint-Germain, but coach Christophe Galtier has not ruled out the prospect of a sensational departure before the transfer window closes.
Asked whether Neymar might move on before the September 1 deadline, Galtier indicated it was highly unlikely but not entirely out of the question.
A spat between Mbappe and Neymar became apparent during PSG's 5-2 Ligue 1 win over Montpellier last Saturday, with the pair seeming to disagree over penalty duties.
Mbappe missed an early spot-kick but thought he would have a chance to make amends when PSG were awarded a second penalty, only for Neymar to take over responsibility and make no mistake. It was clear Neymar considered he was next in line, but Mbappe may have thought the duty remained his.
It has led to suggestions of a rift between the star pair that could prove disruptive in the dressing room, with Mbappe looking best placed to win any such tug-of-war after signing a bumper three-year contract in May.
He scored later in the Montpellier game but refused to celebrate, to the frustration of a number of team-mates.
Galtier said the matter was put to bed during training this week, saying: "There's no malaise. We have been making plans, saying what we need to say to one another. I can confirm that in all honesty it's been a good week with everyone working hard to prepare well for the game against Lille.
"I have been involved in every session this week and any incidents from the Montpellier game were over from the following day onwards."
PSG travel to face Lille on Sunday as Galtier returns to the club he led to the 2020-21 Ligue 1 title.
Galtier warned that his players have to show maturity when considering who should take free-kicks and penalties.
"We have to show respect," he said. "There are situations in matches when the coach is far away, and my players have to show intelligence to know at which point they can give a present to a team-mate or make things easier for someone else to gain confidence by taking a penalty."
When the topic of Neymar and a possible departure was raised in Friday's press conference, Galtier did not entirely close the door on the idea.
"There are always surprises in the transfer window," the head coach said. "I haven't heard anything about Neymar asking to leave. I can see him training and working hard every day. He is performing well in the games so far.
"There is no feeling that he is on standby. But the transfer window is the transfer window."
For now, Neymar remains firmly in Galtier's plans, and the coach is planning on having Neymar, Mbappe and Lionel Messi as a front three this season, the coach's first campaign since joining from Nice.
If PSG get a penalty at Lille on Sunday, there seems sure to be no squabbling over who takes it.
"Who will take the penalty?" Galtier said. "The players will know it."
Chelsea have confirmed the capture of teenage midfielder Cesare Casadei from Inter Milan, as reports suggest the Blues are preparing another bid for Everton's Anthony Gordon.
The Blues have signed the 19-year-old on a six-year deal, and becomes their latest signing of a busy maiden transfer window for the Todd Boehly era at Stamford Bridge.
An Italy youth international, Casadei was named to the Inter senior squad for the first time in February, but ultimately did not make an appearance for the club as they narrowly missed out on a successful Serie A title defence.
Casadei becomes Chelsea's second piece of business with the former Scudetto holders this transfer window, after striker Romelu Lukaku returned on loan to the San Siro outfit following a disappointing year in London.
Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel's side are expected to table another offer for England youth international Gordon, having been rebuffed twice already by Everton.
The Toffees are keen to hang on to one of their most prized young talents, particularly following the loss of Richarlison to Tottenham earlier in the window, but may well concede and accept the Blues' latest anticipated offer.
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