It's obvious! Liverpool's next Alexander Isak transfer will b… — and more

Liverpool need wingers and they need speed in their current attack. The Reds haven't really replaced Luis Diaz since he left for Bayern Munich, and they also haven't really added any wingers of genuine quality since Richard Hughes arrived at the club.

But that could be changing.

Hughes' first winger target in the summer of 2024 was Anthony Gordon. Liverpool came close to signing the winger at the time but ultimately Newcastle decided to sell Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson instead, in order to meet the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Last summer, Liverpool wanted to sign a winger but they held fire. Isak was the priority. They could have signed other wingers but they didn't.

Perhaps there was a reason for that. Maybe, they have been waiting all along to return to Gordon in the summer of 2026.

It's becoming clearer now that Gordon is exactly the type of player Liverpool need. He's tremendously fast and he's good in one vs one situations.

His four-goal haul against Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday night also proved that he can be very prolific.

He now has 19 goal contributions this season, including 10 in the Champions League and we are only in February. There's the possibility that he could reach 30 or even 40 at this point depending on how far Newcastle go in their European and domestic competitions.

Now entering his prime years at 24-years-old, he's becoming an extraordinary winger, and this is the time to buy him. It's the perfect moment. Given Liverpool also have homegrown issues and Gordon is actually a club-trained player having been released by Liverpool at the age of 12, he makes so much sense.

It's just so obvious. He will have to be Liverpool's next Isak transfer.

The U.S. team, who edged Sweden 2–1 in overtime in the quarterfinals, will face Slovakia, who defeated Germany 6–2 to reach the semifinals. The winner will move on to the gold‑medal match.

The game airs on NBC and streams live on Peacock at 3:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 20. Fans can also follow the full schedule on The Sporting News.

Two opinion polls show fewer South Australians intend to vote for the Liberal Party than One Nation ahead of the official state election campaign period.

Celtic fans, we asked for your views after Thursday night's 4-1 defeat at home to Stuttgart in the Europa League.

Here are the main points:

Paul: Martin O'Neill is an excellent manager but he's no magician. He has done brilliantly wallpapering over cracks, motivating a team to get results in the league. Any Bundesliga team will cause us bother - especially one like Stuttgart. Terrible atmosphere at Celtic Park for a European fixture - that needs sorted as much as anything. Kasper Schmeichel had a bad night - so did plenty others around him. A good bench mark of where we really are.

Biggar Bhoy: We were architects of our own demise. Schmeichel was certainly at fault for two of the goals, but it was a collective defensive failure for all four goals conceded. I thought the treatment of Schmeichel by a significant section of the home support was pretty shameful to be honest. If we're to salvage anything from what's been a dismal season so far, the fans need to back the team and get behind every single player.

Sally: Celtic supporters are not helping the team with these stupid, adolescent, and immature protests. The team certainly did not cover themselves in glory and the defence showed naivety against a good club. This is a proud club with a great history in Europe being given a football lesson.

Eck: Probably the worst Celtic team in 15 years. The goalkeeper is past it, too many mistakes and too slow. Auston Trusty and Liam Scales are liabilities, they are like frightened rabbits in the headlights and make too many mistakes. The board need to invest in better players instead of banking all the money.

Jim: If we are honest we are just not at the level of European teams. Stuttgart, in my opinion, were only playing to about 75% of their potential. The eternal triangle of Trusty, Callum McGregor and Scales is so predictable and mostly ends up with a punt into touch from our own penalty area. Would have been nice to have a midfield. There was no creativity and we were well beaten by a better team who wanted to play forward football instead of our negativity and backward passing.

Stephen: Celtic should never prioritise league football over European football for me, that's where we aspire to be, but this year they need a clear focus on the league so being out of Europe isn't a bad thing.

Aaron: One word. Dross

Benfica are seeking action against Valverde for an incident that occurred in the 82nd minute of their Champions League tie. The Portuguese club claims Valverde took a punch at their player Samuel Dahl while both were tussling for possession near the sidelines, an act they believe warranted a red card but went unreviewed by VAR officials.

The complaint adds to the mounting tension between the two clubs following their first-leg encounter, which was already marred by controversy including racist allegations and post-match comments from Jose Mourinho. While it's unlikely Valverde will be suspended for the second leg, the incident further sets the stage for what promises to be a highly charged rematch next week.