Teenagers Thomas Bloxham and James Edmondson scored on their senior debuts as Blackburn romped to an 8-0 win at League Two Harrogate.

Rovers enjoyed their biggest victory since 1963 in a heavily one-sided Carabao Cup second round tie, with John Buckley (2), Jake Garrett, Sam Gallagher, Dilan Markanday and Zak Gilsenan also on target for the Championship side.

The visitors, who made 10 changes to the side that started Sunday’s Championship win at Watford, had the outcome wrapped up by half-time, cruising into a 4-0 lead.

First, Gallagher fed Garrett in the penalty box and he fired across goal into the  bottom left corner of Mark Oxley’s net for the 10th-minute opener.

Gallagher got on the scoresheet himself three minutes later, capitalising on Will Smith’s failure to cut out a Buckley through-ball before coolly beating an exposed Oxley.

Buckley went on to make it 3-0 in the 34th minute after Andy Moran had rounded Oxley and squared to the unmarked midfielder six yards from the visitors’ goal.

Markanday then rubbed salt in the wounds by firing into the bottom corner from the edge of the box in first half added-time.

There was no respite for the hosts after the restart with Buckley converting from the penalty spot after Warren Burrell had brought down Sondre Tronstad.

Gilsenan then rifled a 20-yard free-kick into the roof of the net, then fellow substitute Bloxham showed nimble footwork in the box before finding the bottom corner to make it 7-0.

Edmondson, introduced in the 63rd minute, tucked a one-on-one chance under Oxley 12 minutes later to become the third goalscoring substitute on a satisfying night for the visitors.

Inter Milan have signed France defender Benjamin Pavard on a permanent deal, the clubs have announced.

The 27-year-old World Cup-winner moves after four years with the German giants in which he added four Bundesliga titles and the Champions League to his medal collection.

He also won the Club World Cup, European Super Cup and German Cup during a Bayern career in which he made 163 appearances and scored 12 goals.

Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said: “We would like to thank Benjamin Pavard for four extremely successful years together.

“Not least in our historic year, he was a very important part of the team, especially as he was the match-winner in the final of the Club World Cup.

“We respect his desire for a new challenge and have therefore agreed on a move to Inter Milan. We wish him all the best and much success for his future in Serie A in Italy.”

Pavard began his professional career with Lille before joining Bayern after a three-year spell with Stuttgart.

The global transfer spending record has been broken this summer, according to figures from Transfermarkt.

Clubs worldwide have spent a combined £6.56billion on 1,617 players so far, surpassing the previous high for a single window of £6.51bn set in 2019.

Here, the PA news agency breaks down the record-breaking total.

Highest spending leagues

The Premier League is comfortably the highest-spending division in 2023-24, with almost £2.1bn having been invested in 269 players.

The Saudi Pro League is second on the list with a combined total of £727million, ahead of Italy’s Serie A (£683m), Germany’s Bundesliga (£598m), France’s Ligue 1 (£597m) and Spain’s LaLiga (£342m).

The English top flight has moved further clear of rival leagues compared with 2019, with Premier League spending almost doubling in value and now accounting for 32 per cent of the global total, up from 20 per cent four years ago.

In contrast, the remaining four of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues have all spent less than they did in 2019, albeit with more than 48 hours of the window still to go.

Those declines have been offset by a huge rise in Saudi Pro League spending, from less than 1 per cent of the total in 2019 to more than 11 per cent in 2023.

The increase in Saudi Arabia’s market share has come at the expense of LaLiga clubs in particular, whose spending is worth just five per cent of the worldwide total this summer – compared with 18 per cent four years ago.

Highest spending clubs

Chelsea have spent £359m on new players this summer, the most of any club worldwide according to Transfermarkt.

The Blues are top of the spending charts for the third consecutive window under Todd Boehly’s ownership, with their total transfer outlay closing in on £1bn since last summer’s takeover.

Unlike previous windows, however, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal (£304m) are the second-highest spending club, ahead of Arsenal (£202m), PSG (£180m), Tottenham (£166m) and Manchester United (£165m).

The remaining three clubs owned by the gulf state’s Public Investment Fund – Al-Ahli (£157m), Al-Nassr (£142m) and Al-Ittihad (£65m) – also feature in the top 25 highest spenders so far this season.

Most expensive transfers

Despite the rise in Saudi Pro League spending, all three nine-figure transfers this summer have involved Premier League clubs.

Moises Caicedo, Harry Kane and Declan Rice all moved for an initial £100m, with Brighton, Tottenham and West Ham extracting club-record fees for their prized assets.

Caicedo and Rice stayed in the English top flight by moving to Chelsea and Arsenal respectively, while Kane joined 11-time reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in search of silverware.

At an initial £88.5m, Jude Bellingham’s switch from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid is fourth on the list, while Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol and Al-Hilal’s Neymar are joint-fifth having joined for £77.6m from RB Leipzig and PSG respectively.

Folarin Balogun has completed a permanent move to French club Monaco from Arsenal.

The PA news agency understands the deal for the 22-year-old United States forward is worth 40million euro (£34.3m) and also includes a sell-on clause of 17.5 per cent.

Monaco confirmed Balogun had signed a five-year contract until June 2028.

Balogun joined the Gunners aged 10 and developed through the club’s academy before signing a first professional contract in February 2019 and made his senior debut in the Europa League the following year.

In January 2022, Balogun joined Sky Bet Championship side Middlesbrough on loan and he spent last season in Ligue 1 at Reims, where he scored 21 goals.

A club statement from the Gunners read: “We thank Folarin for his contribution to Arsenal, through our Academy into the first team, and wish him the best of health and happiness in his new chapter at Monaco.”

Harry Maguire has yet to play for Manchester United this season but could be part of the England squad announced on Thursday as Gareth Southgate deals with defensive headaches.

The Euro 2020 runners-up continue the road to next summer’s tournament with a qualifier against Ukraine in Poland on September 9, before playing a friendly in Scotland three days later.

There have been few surprises in recent selections and that theme is likely to continue when Southgate names his squad for the double-header at St George’s Park on Thursday.

The England boss is expected to largely stick with the tried and tested, meaning the likes of and Maguire, Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson may get the nod despite questions over their international futures.

Maguire was replaced as Manchester United captain over the summer having fallen down the pecking order and has yet to play for Erik ten Hag’s side this season.

The 30-year-old’s last competitive match was June’s 7-0 win against North Macedonia and his next could also come in an England shirt due to a lack of centre-back options.

John Stones has yet to feature in the league this term due to a hip problem and Tyrone Mings, who returned to the international squad in June, has suffered a serious knee injury.

Eric Dier is fit but has not even made the bench for Tottenham this season and has been widely linked with a move before Friday’s transfer deadline.

Ben White, Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi and Lewis Dunk are options, while Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is expected to receive his first formal call-up.

The 20-year-old centre-back spent time with the senior set-up in June, including travelling to Malta, before going on to help England Under-21s win the European Championship.

In midfield, Southgate has decisions to make over Phillips and Henderson – two key members of his squad in recent years.

The former has struggled to make an impact at treble-winning Manchester City since joining from Leeds last summer and has yet to play a minute this term.

Southgate previously indicated a continued lack of game time could impact Phillips and Maguire, while Henderson’s move to Saudi Arabia raises questions over his international role ahead of the Euros.

England’s vice-captain joined Al-Ettifaq in the summer – a move that Southgate said makes it harder to assess the 33-year-old’s level, albeit clarifying “we would be stupid” to rule him out.

There is better news regarding another of England’s most experienced players after Raheem Sterling’s return to form after a sticky first campaign at Chelsea.

The 82-cap forward has not played for England since the World Cup quarter-final defeat to France, with injury ruling him out in March and a hamstring issue lying him low in June.

That omission was described as a “mutual decision” that appears to have paid off given Sterling’s lively start to the new season, including a brace and assist in Friday’s 3-0 win over Luton.

Chelsea team-mate Reece James is set to miss September’s matches through injury, as are the Manchester United duo of Luke Shaw and Mason Mount.

Morgan Gibbs-White, a key part of England’s Under-21s Euros triumph, is pushing to get his first call-up after continuing where he left off back at Nottingham Forest.

Eberechi Eze will be looking to maintain his place having made his debut in June and Rico Henry is another reportedly in contention.

Brentford team-mate Ivan Toney remains unavailable as he serves a Football Association betting ban and Roma’s Tammy Abraham is recovering from reconstructive surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Callum Wilson has not started for Newcastle this season but fellow striker Ollie Watkins – whose last cap came in March 2022 – is looking sharp at Aston Villa.

AC Milan winger Alexis Saelemaekers has joined Bologna on a season-long loan with an option to buy.

The Belgium international joined the 2021/22 Serie A winners in 2020 and made 98 appearances, scoring five times.

Saelemaekers becomes Thiago Motta’s eighth signing of the summer window and could feature in Bologna’s next league match against Cagliari on Saturday.

An AC Milan club statement said: “AC Milan can confirm that Alexis Saelemaekers has joined Bologna FC on loan until 30 June 2024, with an option to make the deal permanent.

“The club would like to wish Alexis all the best for the coming season.”

Manchester City have reached a verbal agreement with Wolves on a fee for Portugal midfielder Matheus Nunes.

The PA news agency understands City have agreed to pay Wolves 55million euros (£47million) without add ons, but the deal has not yet been finalised.

In a separate deal, City’s 21-year-old midfielder Tommy Doyle will join Wolves on loan with a £5million option to buy, and City retaining a significant sell-on clause if the move becomes permanent.

City last week saw a bid for Nunes rejected, with the 25-year-old subsequently choosing not to train with Wolves in a bid to force through a move in the final days of the transfer window.

Speaking after Tuesday night’s 5-0 Carabao Cup win over Blackpool, Wolves boss Gary O’Neil said he was unaware of any improved bid from City and expected the player to remain at the club beyond Friday’s deadline, but that situation has quickly changed.

Nunes became Wolves’ record signing when he joined from Sporting Lisbon for an initial £38million last summer, signing a five-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.

He made 34 appearances last term, scoring one goal and proving one assist.

England under-21 international Doyle, grandson of Manchester City greats Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe, impressed on loan at Sheffield United last season, scoring four goals and seven assists in 38 appearances as he helped the Blades earn promotion to the Premier League.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has begun his recovery since undergoing surgery to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The Belgium international sustained the serious injury to his left knee in a training session and has now returned back to the Real Madrid setup to begin his first steps in rehabilitation.

Courtois took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to give supporters an update on his fitness, he said: “Thank you to everyone for the support and the energy!

“Little by little I’m taking the first steps in my recovery.”

Since the injury to Courtois, Real Madrid have signed Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on a season-long loan deal as a replacement and the Spain stopper kept a clean sheet on his debut, a 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo on the weekend.

Kepa, 28, has previously spoken of his intention of making the move permanent and could compete with Courtois for the number one jersey when the Belgian returns to the fold.

Wales boss Rob Page has backed Brennan Johnson to fill the striker void at Tottenham left by Harry Kane’s departure.

Record Spurs goal-scorer Kane moved to Bayern Munich in a £100million deal earlier this month and Tottenham have yet to replace him ahead of Friday’s transfer deadline.

But Tottenham are leading the chase for Wales forward Johnson with Nottingham Forest ready to listen to offers around the £50m mark.

“I wouldn’t even talk about the Harry Kane situation and going in to fill that,” Page said after naming a 25-man squad for the September 7 friendly with South Korea and the crunch Euro 2024 qualifier in Latvia four days later.

“He’s his own person and player, a different type of player. I think he’s just got to go.”

Page saw Johnson play for Forest on Saturday in their 3-2 defeat at Manchester United.

Johnson came off 20 minutes from time, but Page said the 22-year-old was “fully fit” for international duty.

“Young players today – and Brennan falls into this category – are a confident breed and he’s more than capable of playing at that level (for Tottenham),” said Page.

“I think Brennan has a good support network around him. I know his dad (David), who used to play so he’s been through all this himself.

“You need that network as a young lad. I don’t believe he will get carried with it. He will stay grounded and won’t change.

“You don’t go into a club expecting to fill somebody’s else’s boots.

“He’s a very different player to Harry and, if he goes there, it is on his own ability and what he can offer to the team.”

Leeds winger Daniel James is sidelined by an adductor injury while Joe Morrell and Kieffer Moore – who are available for the Cardiff friendly with South Korea – are suspended for the trip to Riga after receiving respective red cards against Armenia and Turkey in June.

Tom Lockyer is in the squad for the first time since collapsing in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley in May.

Lockyer underwent an operation to address an irregular heartbeat but has since returned to action to lead Luton in their first Premier League campaign.

Page said: “It’s a great story. We all watched the events unfold in the play-off final. We were all concerned, but there has been nothing but positivity since that day.

“He has had some great news, he is back to normal and is now playing in the Premier League, which is unbelievable for him as well.

“It is always going to be a challenge when you get promoted to the Premier League, Luton have done really well to be where they are at with the resources they have available to them.

“But for him personally he should be very proud of how he has recovered after it. A dream for him was to play in the Premier League and he has achieved that.”

Josh Sheehan and Wes Burns earn recalls as Ollie Cooper and Luke Harris drop out of the squad.

Fulham midfielder Harris, 18, has been in and around the squad for the past 12 months but has yet to be capped.

“It’s ironic, isn’t it?,” said Page. “Luke’s not been involved for Fulham and the day I announce the squad the night before he’s on the bench and comes on.

“The plan might be that Luke still goes out on loan to play games at a lower level.

“We see potential in him, but it hasn’t quite gone how I anticipated if I’m being honest.

“But like with Rubin (Colwill) and JJ (Jordan James) we’ve wanted to see them play more games.

“It’s about managing Luke and he’ll drop back down to the Under-21s now.

“It benefited Harry Wilson when Ryan (Giggs) was manager and, although it’s good we can expose him to this environment, there’s nothing like playing games and getting caps.”

The Republic of Ireland are looking for a new manager after opting not to renew Vera Pauw’s contract despite seeing her guide her team to the World Cup finals for the first time.

Pauw’s departure brings an end to a four-year reign which has seen the nation’s women scale new heights, but the Dutchwoman’s tenure has not been without controversy.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look Pauw’s time at the Irish helm.

What is Pauw’s background?

A former defender who was capped 89 times by the Netherlands, Pauw’s coaching career includes spells with Scotland, the Dutch, who she led to the semi-finals of the 2009 European Championships, Russia and South Africa, as well as National Women’s Soccer League side Houston Dash in the United States. The 60-year-old was appointed to succeed Colin Bell as Ireland boss in September 2019.

How did Ireland fare under her charge?

Having finished third in Group I after a 3-1 home defeat by Germany, Ireland missed out on qualification for the Euro 2022 finals. Defeat by eventual Group A winners Sweden in their opening World Cup qualifier did not deter the Republic, who went on to finish second and then, courtesy of Amber Barrett’s lone strike, beat Scotland in a play-off to book their ticket to Australia and New Zealand. Ultimately they did not progress after narrow defeats by co-hosts Australia and Olympic champions Canada, as well as a draw with Nigeria.

What place does she hold in Irish football history?

Pauw is one of only three coaches, along with Jack Charlton and Mick McCarthy, to lead Ireland to the finals of a senior World Cup. Along with Giovanni Trapattoni and Martin O’Neill, who took the men’s team to Euro 2012 and 2016 respectively, they are the only five people to send out a senior Irish team at the finals of any major tournament.

Where did it go wrong?

Rumours of disquiet within the camp have grown in recent months and several players notably declined to support their manager when asked during World Cup press conferences amid speculation that a conservative approach on the pitch was unpopular in the dressing room. Suspicions of a fracture grew amid a public spat between Pauw and skipper Katie McCabe after the Arsenal winger appeared to call for a substitution during the Nigeria game. The manager later offered a “she’s not the coach” riposte; McCabe responded on social media with a zipped mouth emoji. Pauw had gone into the tournament against the backdrop of a renewed focus on allegations – which she strongly denies – of bullying and belittling behaviour during her time in Houston, for which she was sanctioned by the NSWL earlier this year.

How have supporters reacted to the news?

Not well. Many fans have taken to social media to claim Pauw has been treated poorly after what she has achieved with Ireland, many pointing out that the men’s team has not reached the World Cup finals since 2002.

Who could replace her?

The FAI’s head of women and girls’ football Eileen Gleeson has been placed in interim charge for next month’s Nations League openers against Northern Ireland and Hungary and could be considered for a longer-term role. Like Gleeson, Tom Elmes is highly regarded in the women’s game in Ireland, but as a member of Pauw’s coaching team, may suffer if the FAI decide to make a clean break. Liverpool boss Matt Beard has been touted as a potential replacement, as has former England captain and Manchester United manager Casey Stoney, currently in charge at San Diego Wave.

The draw for the group stage of the Champions League will take place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday evening.

Here the PA news agency explains how it will unfold.

When is the draw?

The draw is due to start at 5pm UK time on Thursday evening.

How will it work?

The 32 teams will be split into eight groups of four, with the four seeding pots not set to be confirmed until Thursday morning. The identity of the final qualifiers will not be known until Wednesday evening.

Pot 1 will feature European champions Manchester City, Europa League winners Sevilla and six domestic champions. Pots two to four will be based on the UEFA club coefficient rankings.

As usual, teams from the same country will be kept apart until at least the quarter-final stage. Pairings and any other restrictions will be announced ahead of the draw.

What else do we need to know about the format?

The teams play each other home and away between September and December as usual, with the top two progressing to the Champions League last 16.

The teams finishing third enter the Europa League knockout round play-offs, where they will face the runners-up from the Europa League group stages for a place in the last 16 of that competition.

What else should we expect on Thursday night?

UEFA plans to announce the four winners of its 2022-23 awards – men’s player and coach, plus women’s player and coach – during the draw ceremony. There will be particular focus on the women’s awards amid the unfolding crisis in Spanish football – two of the country’s World Cup-winning team, Aitana Bonmati and Olga Carmona, are nominated for the player award while Jorge Vilda is nominated for the coach award.

What else should we look out for this season?

This season marks the final year of the group stage as we have come to know it. From next season the 32-team group stage will be replaced by a 36-team league phase, with each team playing eight matches on a seeded basis.

It will be worth keeping an eye as the season progresses on the country coefficients, which are based on the collective performance of a country’s clubs in the three UEFA men’s club competitions. One team each from the two best-performing countries will secure additional places in the league phase, under changes agreed at UEFA Congress in Vienna last year.

Raphael Varane has been ruled out for a few weeks as Manchester United’s injury issues pile up ahead of the Premier League trip to Arsenal.

Erik ten Hag’s side head to north London on Sunday for their final match before the international break without several key players.

Luke Shaw and Mason Mount picked up issues in the first week of the season, while summer signing Rasmus Hojlund has yet to make his debut due to a back complaint.

Tyrell Malacia, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and Tom Heaton have missed the start of the season and now experienced Varane faces a spell on the sidelines.

A club statement read: “Raphael Varane will be missing from the team when Manchester United face Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday due to injury.

“The France international came off at half-time in our 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Saturday due to the complaint, which is expected to keep him out for a few weeks.”

The PA news agency understands that United are expecting Varane to be back in less than the six weeks reported by some outlets.

The 30-year-old has dealt with a number of injuries since moving to Old Trafford in 2021 and, having retired from the France set-up in February, will have the international break to work towards his return.

Wales will be without Daniel James for their crucial Euro 2024 qualifier against Latvia next month.

Leeds winger James has been sidelined with an adductor injury and misses the crunch clash in Riga on September 11, as well as the Cardiff friendly against South Korea four days earlier.

The 45-times capped James has been a regular since making his debut in 2018, starting 34 consecutive competitive games before the run came to an end last November.

Wales boss Rob Page has named a 25-man squad for the September double-header as he seeks to revive the Dragons’ Euro 2024 qualification hopes.

Back-to-back defeats against Armenia and Turkey in June have left Wales with an uphill task to secure an automatic route to the tournament in Germany next summer.

Nottingham Forest forward and Tottenham target Brennan Johnson is included, and Tom Lockyer returns to the squad for the first time since his heart scare in May.

The 28-year-old Luton captain collapsed just a few minutes into the Hatters’ Sky Bet Championship play-off final win over Coventry at Wembley.

Lockyer underwent an operation to address an irregular heartbeat but has since returned to action to lead Luton in their first Premier League campaign.

David Brooks is also present after scoring for Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, his first senior goal since returning to action earlier this year following treatment for stage two Hodgkin lymphoma.

Tottenham defender Ben Davies is available after missing the 2-0 Euro qualifying defeat to Turkey in June due to the birth of his first child.

Page has named four goalkeepers in his squad – Danny Ward, Wayne Hennessey, Adam Davies and Tom King – but none of them have had any game-time this season.

Kieffer Moore and Joe Morrell are both suspended for the Latvia qualifier after picking up red cards in June.

The pair received two-game bans, with Bournemouth striker Moore serving the first part of his suspension in Turkey after being sent off against Armenia.

Portsmouth midfielder Morrell saw red against Turkey in Samsun and will also miss the October qualifier with Croatia.

Both players have been included in Page’s squad and can feature against Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea in Cardiff on September 7.

Bolton midfielder Josh Sheehan returns to the squad for the first time since September 2021 and Wes Burns is also included. Midfield pair Luke Harris and Ollie Cooper drop out.

Full squad: W Hennessey (Nottingham Forest), D Ward (Leicester), A Davies (Sheff Utd), T King (Wolves), B Davies (Tottenham), M Fox (QPR), J Rodon (Leeds, on loan from Tottenham), B Cabango (Swansea), C Mepham (Bournemouth), T Lockyer (Luton), N Williams (Nottingham Forest), C Roberts (Burnley), W Burns (Ipswich), E Ampadu (Leeds), J Sheehan (Bolton), J James (Birmingham), J Morrell (Portsmouth), H Wilson (Fulham), A Ramsey (Cardiff, captain), K Moore (Bournemouth), N Broadhead (Ipswich), B Johnson (Nottingham Forest), D Brooks (Bournemouth), T Bradshaw (Millwall), L Cullen (Swansea).

Tottenham are braced for a busy end to the summer transfer window with Ange Postecoglou eager to bring in reinforcements.

Spurs made nine changes for their Carabao Cup second-round tie at Fulham on Tuesday, but Hugo Lloris, Djed Spence, Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga, Sergio Reguilon and Tanguy Ndombele were all absent from the matchday squad.

A much-changed starting line-up suffered a 5-3 penalty shoot-out defeat and while the club will attempt to shift the absent six players before 11pm on Friday, Postecoglou has not ruled out further incomings.

He said: “Well, I think my view around that hasn’t really changed. We need to trim the squad and get it to a more manageable state.

“Then see what is available for us to then bring in players to strengthen the squad in a couple of areas that we may need.”

Developments around right-back Spence gathered pace this week and he will join Leeds on a season-long loan with no obligation to buy, while Serie A outfit Torino could offer Tanganga regular football after they registered an interest in signing the centre-back on loan.

Ex-Spurs captain Lloris has been linked with Roma in recent days and Genoa were reported as an option for Ndombele on Tuesday but Manchester United no longer appear to be a viable suitor for Reguilon.

Reports in Germany have suggested Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are interested in Dier, who has a year left on his deal at Tottenham.

Davinson Sanchez and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg started at Fulham but could depart before Friday’s deadline with Tottenham looking to trim their bloated squad ahead of September 13 when a 25-man list will be submitted to the Premier League.

Incomings have not been ruled out and Spurs appear to have no direct competition for Nottingham Forest attacker Brennan Johnson, who had attracted interest from Brentford but they have turned their attention elsewhere.

It opens the door for Tottenham to move for the Welsh international with Forest ready to listen to offers around the £50million mark.

Any potential arrival of Johnson, who can play across the front three, would ease the burden on Richarlison following Harry Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich earlier this month.

Richarlison opened his account for the season with a second-half header at Fulham, but Postecoglou said of the £60million forward: “I guess because everyone has been talking about it, it is great for him to score a goal.

“I think he has played better for us in the other games. I get why other people look at it (the goals) and I understand it, but for me it is about contributing to our football and how we want to play.

“I think the goals will come. The way we play, our strikers, our attacking players, all our players will all have an opportunity to score.”

Meanwhile, Fulham boss Marco Silva was able to laugh about his old forward scoring against him after his team progressed into the third round.

Silva admitted: “It is life but Richarlison is a top guy, a top professional.

“I know and Richarlison knows as well how he has been working so, so hard to achieve and reach what he already reach in his football career.

“Of course all strikers they need goals. A striker that is replacing a player like Harry Kane probably needs to score quick to start to be more confident as well but Richarlison is already the number nine of the national team.

“He is a hard worker, a top quality player and I wish the best for him in the future.”

What the papers say

Ivan Toney is looking rather popular right now, with The Independent reporting that Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has his eyes set on the banned Brentford star.

Toney’s forced football hiatus for betting breaches runs out in January, and it seems Chelsea are keen to snap up the one-cap England striker.

Word on the sideline is that a deal could be struck in the frantic final days of the transfer window but Brentford would want a cool £80 millionfor the 27-year-old, who has two years left on his current deal with the Bees.

Speaking of Chelsea, the Daily Mail reports that Arsenal has rebuffed an approach from the Blues for 23-year-old attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe. But Chelsea are said to still be eager for his signature, and may be willing to include players as a sweetener in any deal.

Just across the road from Chelsea, there has been transfer activity at Craven Cottage. It is now up to Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos to decide on a move to Fulham after The Telegraph reported that the two clubs have agreed on a deal for his switch.

And the i says that Turkish side Besiktas may be willing to give Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood a chance to revive his career after United announced last week that club and player had mutually agreed his future lies away from Old Trafford.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Hugo Ekitike: Sky Sports says West Ham are in talks with Paris St Germain over the 21-year-old striker.

Nicolas Tagliafico: Manchester United have chased Lyon over a loan move for the 30-year-old defender, reports French outlet Le Parisien.